Antithetical
by Mignonne-and-Sellene
Summary: (completed) Rebelling against an ancient curse will lead to a slow, but painful death. Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy are betrothed by an old imprecation, obligating them to be together. Death and destruction, but not really. DG. Enjoy.
1. In Which The Curse Is Explained

**ANTITHETICAL **By Mignonne and Sellene

Disclaimer - We do not own Harry Potter. Please don't sue us for writing this fic. Between us, we have like ten bucks and we need to go to college and stuff so.... Most of the characters are OOC anyway

CHAPTER ONE - In Which The Curse Is Explained

**********

_"Come back." a wavering call emitted from the shadowy forest. _

_"I need you." The wispy voice was louder this time strengthening into a familiar tone. "I need you.Come to me.Please."   
  
Panic rose from the pit of her stomach and her breath came in short breaths. Where was he? She needed to find him - she held knowledge that would save his life. Her head gyrated wildly as the midnight fog clouded her vision. Crickets sang and owls hooted in the still dark night. She spun around in the clearing, unsure of where to go.   
  
"Here," came the whisper once more. Gratefully, she ran towards the flickering light. From out of the mist came the faint outline of a wooden cabin. _

_"I need you." his voice was so clear and strong she was sure he would be inside._

_She threw the door open violently and from the threshold poured glowing rays that warmed her cold body. Harry Potter sat calmly in a large armchair by the fireplace. He stood as she entered, a loving smile on his face. Relieved, she ran into his comforting embrace. The flannel of his pajamas rubbed softly against her skin as she buried her face in his chest._

_"It was Draco all along!" she cried. "Oh, Harry, we've got to alert Dumbledore."_

_Abruptly, the door opened with a creaking swing and a fair-haired figure entered the desolate room. Harry stood stoically in place, without so much as a flinch.  _

_"Do something, Harry!" Ginny screamed to no avail. The raven-haired hero was rooted to his spot as Draco Malfoy paced forward. In pure panic, Ginny pulled her silver knife from its sheath and sent it flying into evil's heart. _

_Horror wove itself across her face as the blonde hair turned to black and the gray eyes to green. In the villain's place stood Harry, a knife embedded in his chest. _

_She whirled around to where her hero had stood. In his place was Draco Malfoy, a cold smile spreading across his ghostly face. _

_"Yes, it was me all along but who killed your precious Potter?" A fit of harsh laughter erupted from his throat. Ginny sank to the ground in silent shock as blood flooded the floor, pooling around them. The thick crimson liquid slowly rose, drenching the three figures in the room. Devil red poured around Ginny, pricking her, choking her, cutting her. Suddenly, she was drowning. Desperately fighting for life, she swam up to the top of the cabin, gasping in breath. The blood continued to rise until all she saw was dark vermilion slowly eating away at her. The deafening roar of the blood crashed in waves against the cabin walls and the nauseating stench consumed her senses. The thick redness faded into a dark void and all that was left was icy Malfoy eyes piercing her heart. _

Ginny Weasley awoke with a gasp. She scanned her surroundings wildly, trying to rid her mind of the boring image of Draco Malfoy's pulpils. Running a hand through wavy red locks, she willed herself to forget the abstract nightmare and gazed out the rain-covered windows of the Hogwarts Express headed towards her sixth year of school. The red velvet seats contrasted sharply against the day's dreary weather.

It seemed not long ago that she was on the same train, eager to be home for the summer. The summer that should have been great, a relaxing period in which she could recover from the stressful horror of the fifth year final exams. For the first few weeks, that's exactly what she did: relax. Her best friend, Yvette, even came to stay at the Burrow for three weeks. 

It had been hard going back to Hogwarts after such a disastrous first year. Many students avoided the girl who opened the Chamber of Secrets. She was never completely lonely, but she also never had a true best friend, the kind to confess her soul to. Ginny had drifted from friend to friend for many years before Yvette Delacour transferred from Beauxbatons and befriended her without reservation. Ginny was grateful to have Yvette as a friend, but it was awful to always be in her shadow, for Yvette was part veela. 

Ginny sighed. No boy would notice a normal girl next to a veela. On to her next problem: boys. Following Harry Potter like a puppy for five years kills a girl's love life. Now that Harry and Hermione confirmed what Ginny always suspected by becoming a couple, she vowed to move on. Ginny sighed once more, wondering where Yvette had wandered off to.

Meanwhile, on another part of the Hogwarts express, a game of cat and mouse had ensued. 

The sound of Pansy Parkinson's voice intensified by each passing second. "Draco? Draco honey, where did you go?"

Draco muttered a silent prayer for escape, darting into the nearest seat facing away from Pansy's direction. She wandered past him, still calling his name. He sank down into the plush cushions, exhaling a breath of relief. However, when he turned to the seat next to him, he was met by Virginia Weasley's profile. She didn't acknowledge his presence, turning away instead. Seeing her sent his summer crashing down on him.

************

Draco hurried through the dank halls of the Malfoy Mansion towards his father's study where Lucius often lectured him on Malfoy family history, among other things. Draco prepared himself as he pushed open one of the double doors to the room. He dreaded with all his heart this particular lecture for it was the final week of summer and every year, this lecture was always horrendously long and vicious, punctuated with many sharp insults and sometimes even sharper blows. 

"You're late," Lucius Malfoy coldly greeted his son. "Seems you've finally decided to grace this room with your presence." 

"Good evening to you too, Father, " Draco replied.

He stood before Lucius's desk waiting for an invitation to sit.

Though he had been within his father's study walls many times, it still resonated an eerie and unpleasant mood. Tapestries illustrating morbid scenes covered the stone walls and beneath his feet was a soft Persian carpet that blanketed icy, marble tiled floors. Mahogany chairs placed by the large executive desk were made somewhat comfortable with dragon hide cushions. The dim lighting of the fireplace caste dark shadows that danced and flickered on the walls. The only other light source was candles on the antique chandelier that burned low but never burned out. The room was completed by crystal glass cases that displayed magnificent yet dreadful objects of Dark Magic. 

"Don't stand there like an idiot, boy!" Lucius Malfoy barked. "Sit."

Draco flopped down in one of the chairs in front of his father's desk, where an icy gray glare, not unlike his own, was pelted at him. Draco quickly straightened his posture. 

"Well, boy. Do you know why you're here?"

Before Draco could open his mouth to respond, Lucius answered his own question.

"Everything seems to slip out of the miniscule brain of yours, Draco, at least anything concerning the proud heritage of the Malfoys."

Draco rebelled silently. He knew more than he wanted to about Malfoy ancestry, but he also knew better than to argue.

Since his second year at Hogwarts, Lucius burdened him with extensive assignments, most of which pertained to the dark arts. He read innumerable books with countless pages, wrote infinite essays by candlelight, and even practiced dark magic on rodents. Once in fourth year, he was forced to study muggles to get acquainted with their lifestyle. 

"You have to know your enemies," Lucius had said. Without complaint, Draco followed his father's every word as a perfect son would. He didn't dare oppose his father, not since the incident. 

Sitting in the study awaiting the lecture's commencement, Draco allowed his mind to wander back to that fateful day, the day when he learned his greatest lesson.

Towards the end of his second year at Hogwarts, Draco rebelled for his first and only time. He had felt overwhelmed with final examinations and the extra obligations his father presented him with were far too cumbersome. At first, he tried to juggle the workload, but in the end he gave in. Grudgingly, he owled home in protest, expecting a fierce howler the next morning. Instead the long list of assignments simply stopped, flooding him with relief. 

Upon the arrival of summer vacation, Draco eagerly hurried home to show Lucius his final report card. He had placed within the top five of the class in every subject and-

His trance of remembrance was interrupted as his father began the lecture.

"Many generations ago, the Malfoy family was involved with an ongoing feud with upstart serfs. An extremely powerful wizard was caught between the two and was fatally injured. On his deathbed, he caste a spell, cursing both families." 

Draco had mastered the skill of shutting out his Lucius's voice while keeping an attentive mien. He mentally closed his eyes and continued to replay the old memory as the lecture droned on.

Arriving home on that eventful day, he had rushed into the parlor to greet his parents. He barely made it into the room before Lucius seized hold of him and dragged him down into the dungeons.

Despite fervent protests from Draco, Lucius violently jerked him into the cold jail underneath the main castle, chaining him to a bloodstained wall. By then Draco was in tears, which enraged Lucius even more.

"Why are you crying, boy?" he had snarled. "A child of mine would never cry." With that, Lucius stormed out of the room and shut the door. 

Draco had sat in the darkness, his father's livid voice still echoing in his ears. Even recollecting of the ferocious hostility in his tone sent chills up Draco's spine. Though Lucius wasn't a gentle and warm man who embraced his family with kindness, he had never been abusive, at least not before his son's eyes. 

In the dungeons Draco sat, the frigid air and empty darkness drilling into his spirit. He rarely cried, even as a small child, but the tears flowed freely then, like pebbles tumbling down a cliff in an earthquake. He thought his father would be proud of his marks, so why did he lock him up? 

Draco had suspected Lucius would hold a foul disposition after another plan to revive Voldemort had failed, but that wasn't his fault. When the tears had finally stopped, Draco hugged his knees to his chest in despair. Then it all clicked: Lucius was angry because Draco had complained about the extra homework assignments.

To Draco, Lucius had always been the perfect role model. He admired his father's commanding presence and position in the ministry. He admired his ruthless climb to power and his place of prominence in the dark lord's eyes. But on that day in his thirteenth year of life, Draco Malfoy was disillusioned. He was chained in the dark room for two days without food, water, or any human contact before the dungeon door creaked open. 

"Don't you dare defy me ever again!" His father's ireful holler still resonated fiercely in his mind. "I was busy with the dark lord's plans for resurrection, and I was considerate enough to think of you! But what do you do? You refuse to learn about the dark arts. You write a letter home, whining! Well, listen here. If you even think about disobeying me again, I'll disown you, leave you on the streets like I would a worthless mudblood."

It was then that Draco understood. He may have seen Lucius as a father, but Lucius certainly didn't see him as a son. In Lucius's eyes, he was nothing but an object to be molded, another weapon to fashion for the dark lord. Draco did obey his father since his brief imprisonment. Perhaps Lucius intended the punishment to be another step in chiseling away Draco's independence, but it only awakened him from the mirage, it only pushed his spirit out of his father's grasp forever. 

"They would be united by the marriage of a Malfoy male to a_ commoner's_ daughter," Lucius spat, as Draco awakened himself from his thoughts. His father carried on the speech without halting. "Xavier Malfoy refused to accept this and tried to reverse the curse. After many years he successfully completed one of the most awesome spells of all time. Your glorious ancestor insured that the marriage would occur far into the future, for both families would have only sons, giving the Malfoys time to rise to power." he paused. Draco roused himself enough to look appreciative. Lucius continued much to Draco's astonishment. On other days, Draco would have been locked up for daydreaming but not today. 

"For centuries the serf family had only son after son. Unfortunately even now there is no reversal to the ancient curse. Xavier Malfoy tried to save our family with his spell, but the serf family has had a daughter."

Draco stared into his father's silvery eyes, seeing a reflection of himself in his pupils. Draco sensed that Lucius was anticipating a response of some sort. He snapped into reality, suddenly aware of the seriousness embedded in the situation. 

"Would I be correct in assuming that I'm the Malfoy son who has to marry the serf's female descendant?"

Lucius snorted. "That would be quite obvious." 

Draco said nothing. He stared back into his father's cold eyes, trying to believe he didn't mean to radiate such animosity. However, over the years of being a Death Eater and a practitioner of Dark Arts, it seemed to Draco that that was the only kind of aura Lucius could emit. 

"Well, boy? Aren't you're a least bit interested in learning the name of the wench you must marry?" he continued after a long silence. 

"Yes, father," Draco replied almost automatically. After a moment of thought, he added, "But first, what would happen if I refuse marry her?"

"The consequences of disobeying the curse of a powerful wizard is a slow and painful death to all involved." The bitterness was obvious in Lucius's tone.

"Slow and painful death.fun," Draco thought sarcastically. He displayed no signs of emotion. In truth, he didn't hate "commoners" as much as Lucius would have liked but to marry one because of an ancient curse seemed rather demeaning to one with Malfoy blood. 

"I want you to know that you have no decision to make in this arrangement. You will marry the girl whether you want to or not," Lucius said, leaning over his desk so that his face nearly touched Draco's. 

"Who is she?"

"Weasley. Virginia Weasley."

Draco pictured Ginny Weasley, trying to remember her face. All he could remember was some idiotic poem she made up about Potter.

"That's the girl I'm going to marry," he thought. He always knew that Lucius would have a say in his choice of marriage, but an arranged one was unexpected, even from his father. Draco came out of his reverie and stared at the back of Ginny's head.

****************

Ginny didn't bother to look at the boy sitting next to her. She knew who he was.

"Just try and be nice to him," her father had said. At the end of summer, Arthur Weasley mysteriously instructed her to befriend Draco Malfoy. She complained to Percy and he too tried to convince her to do so. 

"Why, Percy? I don't get it. He's _Malfoy_," Ginny whined.

Percy sighed. "Sometimes, you just have to do certain things in life, even when you don't want to."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped.

"Ginny. I want you to know that we, your family, all love you very much. You are very important to us, but Lucius Malfoy and Dad have agreed. You and Draco should start to get to know each other. Please, Ginny. Do it for us."

Ginny had shrieked in frustration and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. No one wanted to explain to her why she had to be friends with Draco Malfoy. After days of pleading from her family, and days of frustrated shrieks from Ginny, she agreed to try to be civil to him. 

********

And here she was being civil to him. "Look at my civility!" she shrieked silently to her father. Draco Malfoy was sitting right next to her in Yvette's seat and she hadn't made one rude remark. 

The soft pitter-patter of raindrops dribbled on. Draco and Ginny sat side by side, trying to ignore one another. Ginny was glaring at an invisible Yvette. What kind of best friend was she? She had to hurry back and force Malfoy to leave. Even with her head turned to the side, Ginny could see his face reflected in the train window staring at her in an odd manner. 

She then tried to block out the sight of him the only way possible: firmly clenching her eyes shut. Try as she might, she could not keep her mind awake with her eyes closed and continuous raindrops droning in her ears. Ginny resigned herself to sleep.

Draco tallied the awkward moments of his life. This definitely ranked somewhere in the top ten. He had been humiliated, disparaged, and defeated numerous times, but having a loss of words was new.

As soon as he thought it couldn't get any worse, he noticed a weight on his arm. Draco looked down at the red head that was burrowing into his side. Draco shifted his weight uneasily, glancing around hoping that no one would see Ginny Weasley sleeping comfortably on his shoulder. He moved his arm, lightly pushing her away. She swayed from him and fell into his lap. She stirred, only to rearrange herself in a more comfortable position. Her head snuggled onto Draco's lap and she curled up close to him with one arm secured around his waist.

Deciding the situation had gone to far, he prodded at Ginny in hopes that she'd wake up. She only nestled closer to him. Cautiously, he lifted her upper body up so that she no longer lay in his lap and set her back against his arm. He sighed. This would be one long ride to Hogwarts.

Draco glared at Ginny's sleeping face but his cold eyes softened as noticed her unique beauty for the first time. He'd seen her of course in the past, but she was only Weasley's little sister, the pathetic girl who pined after Harry Potter. But now, he really saw her, the sweet innocent face of a sleeping angel framed by locks of red hair. Long eyelashes brushed against her cheeks and a few freckles were sprinkled across her chiseled nose. Her porcelain face was completed with luscious lips that begged for a kiss. 

At least she was pretty. Then again so was Pansy who he honestly could not stand.

He couldn't help but flinch at every noise coming from outside the compartment. This was ridiculous. Why was Ginny Weasley sleeping on him? He slowly extracted himself, gently lowering her to the train seat. She stirred again. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she grabbed at his shirt, pulling him down upon her. 

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she hissed. Draco glanced at their precarious position: his body was leaned entirely over hers. If he had bent a little lower, he would have been _on_ her. A normal boy might have blushed, but Draco Malfoy was not a normal boy.

"I was setting you on the seat after you feel asleep on _me_, Weasley. What were _you_ doing?"

Ginny blushed and opened her mouth to unleash an angry retort but stopped herself. "Sorry," she mumbled out. Draco was taken back. Sorry? That was unexpected. 

"Well, you should be Weasley," he replied. "Do you want to let go of my robes now? I mean, we could take this a step further."

Ginny blushed even redder and quickly released her hold on his designer robes. Draco couldn't help but notice how much the blush complimented her face. He sat down in the seat facing her and looked out the window. All signs of rain had disappeared and they were fast approaching Hogwarts. He sighed. What kind of name was Hogwarts? There was no elegance or grace in it. In fact, it sounded like a word from the imagination of a four-year-old. Hoggy. Warty. Hogwarts. But try as he may to hide it, there was strong school spirit buried in Draco. When Death Eaters compared it to Durmstrang, his anger boiled. He guessed Lucius shared the same pride, at least enough to not send him to another wizarding academy.

Draco was yanked rudely out of his thoughts by the sounds of giggling and yelling from idiotic first years running though the corridors. Definitely not Slytherins, he decided. He looked at Ginny, who was busy heaving her bags from the various compartments. He secretly chuckled as the petite girl jumped, reaching for her bag. 

"Jump Weasel! Higher!" he teased, a snide smile playing across his face.

Ginny glared at him and jumped higher, still unable to reach her bag. He knew, according to proper etiquette, he should help her but she was just too amusing to watch. 

"Enjoying the view, Malfoy?" she gritted out finally.

Draco reached up easily and grabbed her trunk. "More than you imagine," he whispered, leaning over so his lips gently grazed her ear. He left her compartment and strode down the corridor, whistling softly to himself.

********

The first years crowded nervously before the sorting hat at the front of the Great Hall. Candles hovered in the air, and the charmed ceiling revealed the dazzling stars of the night sky. 

Ginny absentmindedly sorted the children herself. "Hmm.not a Gryffindor, oh she'd make a great Keeper in quidditch.Slytherin definitely. He looks sweet, but smart. Hmmm.Ravenclaw, maybe a Gryffindor." She glanced at the Slytherin table. Draco sat opposite of Crabbe and Goyle, staring straight at her. Their eyes clashed. Ginny refused to blush: _he_ was the one staring at her. She prepared herself for a brutal starring contest with Slytherin's most prominent future death eater. Except the icy, prominent future death eater winked jokingly, bringing a smile to her lips. She couldn't help it. Draco Malfoy winked; the whole idea was ludicrous. Their contact was broken as Pansy Parkinson threw herself at Draco's back, resting her head on the crane of his neck. 

Ginny sniffed and looked down at her plate.  
  
*********

"The first banquet of the year is always so dull," Draco complained. Crabbe and Goyle agreed clumsily. He turned his eyes to the first years. Most looked like they were on the verge of a mental breakdown. 

Arriving at the conclusion that they were all cowards, he then turned his attention to the Gryffindor table. Harry Potter and the Granger girl were talking, giving each other lovesick looks. Potter's redheaded sidekick was trying to get the attention of Yvette Delacour.

Next to her, was Ginny. She played around with a strand of her soft, gold-streaked red hair, looking dejected. Draco saw her lift her head and watch the first years with mild interest. She turned to his direction. For a moment her eyes searched the Slytherin table, finally locking her gaze with him. Grey met brown like the foggy sky would falling leaves on a crisp autumn day. The few seconds that their eyes shared lasted forever. All around him, Slytherins cheered as another first year joined the table, but he didn't move. Her eyes presented a challenge, refusing to back down and break her gaze. 

He winked and thought he saw the corners of her mouth tugging up. He realized that the normally cheerful Ginny hadn't smiled since their arrival at Hogwarts. Draco found himself almost eager to see her cheerful grin when a heavily perfumed girl threw herself at him. 

"Hello, Draco honey," she purred into his ear.

He was hardly able to suppress his groan. Pansy was probably one of the most attractive girls and most irritating in school with her strawberry blonde hair and deep green eyes that were framed with thick lashes. Her pouty lips and perky nose completed her perfect complexion. Despite her good looks and slim, curvy body, Draco despised her. She was irritating, superficial, and overly possessive. Ever since the Yule ball in fourth year, Pansy had made it clear that Draco was her man. Well it sure had been news to his ears. He had explained to her that he simply wasn't interested. She had either ignored his protests completely or said, "Oh, Draco. I know you love me," or," Draco, you don't know what you're saying. How come you haven't gotten any flowers for me? All the other girls get them." Finally he gave up, resorting to avoiding her as much as possible. He nodded along as she described her inane activities of the day. 

Pansy chatted away incessantly, relieved to have averted his attention from the Gryffindor table. It seemed that he and Ginny Weasley were making eye contact, something that she couldn't afford.  
  
***************

"Hey, Yvette," said Ron, tapping on her shoulder. "That girl looks part veela."

"Who?" she asked, lazily.

"The girl next to Padma at the Ravenclaw table."

"No, she isn't _blonde_ enough."

"Are you sure?" Ron questioned.

She glanced condescendingly at him.

"We veela have a sixth sense about these things," she explained with an air of superiority. She opened her mouth to say more, but before she could, Dumbledore began to speak. It was time for the beginning of the year speech and song. Afterwards, when Ron turned to Yvette once more, she was already engrossed in conversation with Dean Thomas. 

He sighed and turned to his two best friends who seemed to be having _way_ too much fun for just eating spaghetti. Ron then looked at his little sister, expecting her to be giving disappointed looks to Harry. He started at the sight of the empty space that Ginny occupied only a moment ago.

*********

Ginny groaned. She was usually excited by the prospect of new first years but today was _not_ her day. Not only were Harry and Hermione giggling far too much for sixth years, but Ron had sat between her and Yvette. She pushed away her untouched plate and walked towards the banquet doors. Who would notice? Yvette was caught up with Dean Thomas, Ron was caught up with Yvette, and Harry and Hermione were caught up with each other. As she passed by the tables, she noticed many more couples than years before. Perhaps it was just her imagination. Passing the Slytherin table, she scanned it for Draco. Surprisingly, he was nowhere to be found. Ah well, he's probably making out with Pansy Parkinson in a hall closet, she thought. Ginny opened the Great Hall doors and stepped into the familiar halls. 

She picked up her pace as she headed for the Gryffindor Tower, stopping in front of the fat lady's portrait. What was the password? She groaned, coming to the realization that they hadn't been given the new password yet. 

"Need some help Weasley?" came a voice, drifting towards her. Ginny mentally pounded her head against the wall. Today was definitely not a good day.

"Well, Malfoy. You certainly have a knack for showing up where you're not wanted."

"Not wanted? I think not, you were crying out for the attention of a good looking Slytherin."

"Really, who would that be?" she drawled. 

"Surely, you know the answer to that," he said coming closer. "Even Weasley's aren't that thick."

Ginny growled in response. 

He continued with a smirk, "If you want a place to sleep, my door is always open." With that, he walked away.

Ginny growled again. Malfoy always needed the last word, didn't he? What was with him today? Maybe it was that thing her father and Lucius Malfoy had agreed upon. Or maybe it was just another one of Draco's sick jokes. 

**************

That first day was a definite omen. To Ginny, the idea of a guy following her around wasn't completely unappealing. What was unappealing was the fact that the guy was Malfoy, the boy that made fun of her and her family for being poor, for being "muggle-lovers". Her father had asked her to be civil to him. Why? Now, all of a sudden, Malfoy was everywhere. She saw him between her classes, after classes, on Hogsmeade trips. He would make fun of her or tease her, making her fume with anger, or blush with embarrassment. She had not always remained civil. No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, she couldn't manage it. Today, she had even tried a different, longer route to Transfiguration and arrived late. And now she had detention. 

Ginny cautiously opened the door and peered inside. The sun had gone down, leaving the empty classroom lit only by candlelight. She slipped into a seat in the front row and waited for a few minutes before McGonagall entered. 

"Good evening, Ms. Weasley," she greeted her.

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall."

"You are the only one with detention today. Apparently, your fellow students have a greater respect for punctuality."

"Yes, ma'am," she replied. McGonagall was certainly on the warpath tonight. 

"I have a teacher's meeting to attend. I planned on leaving you in the supervision of my top student."

Ginny brightened up a bit. She would at least be with Hermione. 

"However, Ms. Granger already had plans for this afternoon."

"Snogging Harry, no doubt," Ginny thought with a touch bitterness.

"So, I'll leave you in the care of my second best student. Behave during your detention, Ginny," she said and strolled out as briskly as she came in. In walked Draco Malfoy.

"Hi Weasel," he said. Ginny gaped at him. 

"_You're_ the second best student?"

"Yeah, so?" he snapped.

"So, tell me how much did it take to bribe McGonagall for high marks?" she questioned innocently. She knew that by asking that, she wasn't being "civil" but she couldn't help herself. 

"I didn't. A hypnotic curse works the same way," he replied. 

Ginny briefly wondered if he was joking. 

"Follow me." He turned and left the room. She stood up and hurried to catch up with him. They walked in silence: Draco with long, strong strides and Ginny with quick, scampering steps. He led her to the north lawn. The grass was long and scattered with weeds. 

"What happened?" Ginny asked. The grass was usually perfectly kept.

"Sprout tried out some new charms for the lawn. There were a few glitches," he explained. 

"Just a few?"

"Fine, they didn't work at all. This week, starting on Tuesday, all students with detention were sent to one of the lawns. Today is Friday, so this is the last portion to fix up."

"Well, am I the only one with detention today?"

"It seems so."

Ginny looked at the large expanse of messy green grass and groaned.

"Don't just stand there! Get to work," Draco snapped.   
"I'm supposed to mow the lawn in the dark?"

"_Lumos_," he said airily with a wave of his wand. "Now, start weeding."

Grudgingly, Ginny got on her knees and started pulling out the first patch of weeds she saw. 

Draco leaned against a nearby tree and started to read a book, while Ginny weeded of what she estimated to be a fifth of the north lawn. Then she degnomed, tossing the garden gnomes as far as possible. Most hit the tree the Draco was resting by. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to actually hit him. When finished, she was covered with dirt, sweat, and bite marks from the gnomes. Sighing, she trudged towards the lawn mower. 

All this work just for being late to class, she thought. She would have been content with five points from Gryffindor or even ten. All this work because of _him_. Ginny glared in Draco's direction. He had charmed his lighted want to float around her as she worked. She felt a strong urge to grab the wand and snap it in half, but decided against the notion only because she would have to pay for it afterwards. She sighed again and began to cut the grass.

Half an hour later, she completed the task. She collapsed on the neatly trimmed expanse of green and stared up at the sky. Her neck was sticky with sweat. Her robes had grass stains and her hands were covered with dirt and bite marks. Weeds were caught in her wavy red locks, but she was happy. Happy that her work was done and she could return to Gryffindor tower for a good night's sleep. 

"Missed a spot." A shadow stood over her, offering her unwanted shade from the mellow moonlight. 

Ginny sat up and faced Draco with as much anger and aggression she could muster. 

"See, over there, that big patch of weeds."

Ginny looked over at where he was pointing. Sure enough, there was a miniscule weed on the _opposite_ end of the lawn. The illuminated wand danced towards the forlorn looking plant. Ginny heaved herself off the ground. She stood shakily and started towards the wand's lighted trail. Why was everything blurring? She tried to focus on Draco's wand, but one wand became four in her dizzying vision.

Draco glanced up in time to see Ginny hit the ground. "Weasley?" he queried. "Need help walking now?" 

There was no response. 

"Weasley?" he questioned again worriedly. "Ginny?" he whispered as he got down on his knees. He slid his hands under Ginny's back and slowly lifted her up into his arms. He looked down at her pale face. Her breathing was shallow and she lay dangerously still. Draco quickened his strides to reach the infirmary. He pushed open the door with his back and as he turned, an outraged voice boomed in his ears. 

"What have you done to my sister!?"

****************

To be continued.

  
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	2. In Which They Arrive Hogwarts Ginny Gets...

CHAPTER TWO - In Which They Arrive Hogwarts; Ginny Gets Detention

******

Ginny didn't bother to look at the boy sitting next to her. She knew who he was.

"Just try and be nice to him," her father had said. At the end of summer, Arthur Weasley mysteriously instructed her to befriend Draco Malfoy. She complained to Percy and he too tried to convince her to do so. 

"Why, Percy? I don't get it. He's _Malfoy_," Ginny whined.

Percy sighed. "Sometimes, you just have to do certain things in life, even when you don't want to."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped.

"Ginny. I want you to know that we, your family, all love you very much. You are very important to us, but Lucius Malfoy and Dad have agreed. You and Draco should start to get to know each other. Please, Ginny. Do it for us."

Ginny had shrieked in frustration and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. No one wanted to explain to her why she had to be friends with Draco Malfoy. After days of pleading from her family, and days of frustrated shrieks from Ginny, she agreed to try to be civil to him. 

********

And here she was being civil to him. "Look at my civility!" she shrieked silently to her father. Draco Malfoy was sitting right next to her in Yvette's seat and she hadn't made one rude remark. 

The soft pitter-patter of raindrops dribbled on. Draco and Ginny sat side by side, trying to ignore one another. Ginny was glaring at an invisible Yvette. What kind of best friend was she? She had to hurry back and force Malfoy to leave. Even with her head turned to the side, Ginny could see his face reflected in the train window staring at her in an odd manner. 

She then tried to block out the sight of him the only way possible: firmly clenching her eyes shut. Try as she might, she could not keep her mind awake with her eyes closed and continuous raindrops droning in her ears. Ginny resigned herself to sleep.

Draco tallied the awkward moments of his life. This definitely ranked somewhere in the top ten. He had been humiliated, disparaged, and defeated numerous times, but having a loss of words was new.

As soon as he thought it couldn't get any worse, he noticed a weight on his arm. Draco looked down at the red head that was burrowing into his side. Draco shifted his weight uneasily, glancing around hoping that no one would see Ginny Weasley sleeping comfortably on his shoulder. He moved his arm, lightly pushing her away. She swayed from him and fell into his lap. She stirred, only to rearrange herself in a more comfortable position. Her head snuggled onto Draco's lap and she curled up close to him with one arm secured around his waist.

Deciding the situation had gone to far, he prodded at Ginny in hopes that she'd wake up. She only nestled closer to him. Cautiously, he lifted her upper body up so that she no longer lay in his lap and set her back against his arm. He sighed. This would be one long ride to Hogwarts.

Draco glared at Ginny's sleeping face but his cold eyes softened as noticed her unique beauty for the first time. He'd seen her of course in the past, but she was only Weasley's little sister, the pathetic girl who pined after Harry Potter. But now, he really saw her, the sweet innocent face of a sleeping angel framed by locks of red hair. Long eyelashes brushed against her cheeks and a few freckles were sprinkled across her chiseled nose. Her porcelain face was completed with luscious lips that begged for a kiss. 

At least she was pretty. Then again so was Pansy who he honestly could not stand.

He couldn't help but flinch at every noise coming from outside the compartment. This was ridiculous. Why was Ginny Weasley sleeping on him? He slowly extracted himself, gently lowering her to the train seat. She stirred again. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she grabbed at his shirt, pulling him down upon her. 

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she hissed. Draco glanced at their precarious position: his body was leaned entirely over hers. If he had bent a little lower, he would have been _on_ her. A normal boy might have blushed, but Draco Malfoy was not a normal boy.

"I was setting you on the seat after you feel asleep on _me_, Weasley. What were _you_ doing?"

Ginny blushed and opened her mouth to unleash an angry retort but stopped herself. "Sorry," she mumbled out. Draco was taken back. Sorry? That was unexpected. 

"Well, you should be Weasley," he replied. "Do you want to let go of my robes now? I mean, we could take this a step further…"

Ginny blushed even redder and quickly released her hold on his designer robes. Draco couldn't help but notice how much the blush complimented her face. He sat down in the seat facing her and looked out the window. All signs of rain had disappeared and they were fast approaching Hogwarts. He sighed. What kind of name was Hogwarts? There was no elegance or grace in it. In fact, it sounded like a word from the imagination of a four-year-old. Hoggy. Warty. Hogwarts. But try as he may to hide it, there was strong school spirit buried in Draco. When Death Eaters compared it to Durmstrang, his anger boiled. He guessed Lucius shared the same pride, at least enough to not send him to another wizarding academy.

Draco was yanked rudely out of his thoughts by the sounds of giggling and yelling from idiotic first years running though the corridors. Definitely not Slytherins, he decided. He looked at Ginny, who was busy heaving her bags from the various compartments. He secretly chuckled as the petite girl jumped, reaching for her bag. 

"Jump Weasel! Higher!" he teased, a snide smile playing across his face.

Ginny glared at him and jumped higher, still unable to reach her bag. He knew, according to proper etiquette, he should help her but she was just too amusing to watch. 

"Enjoying the view, Malfoy?" she gritted out finally.

Draco reached up easily and grabbed her trunk. "More than you imagine," he whispered, leaning over so his lips gently grazed her ear. He left her compartment and strode down the corridor, whistling softly to himself.

********

The first years crowded nervously before the sorting hat at the front of the Great Hall. Candles hovered in the air, and the charmed ceiling revealed the dazzling stars of the night sky. 

Ginny absentmindedly sorted the children herself. "Hmm…not a Gryffindor, oh she'd make a great Keeper in quidditch…Slytherin definitely. He looks sweet, but smart. Hmmm…Ravenclaw, maybe a Gryffindor." She glanced at the Slytherin table. Draco sat opposite of Crabbe and Goyle, staring straight at her. Their eyes clashed. Ginny refused to blush: _he_ was the one staring at her. She prepared herself for a brutal starring contest with Slytherin's most prominent future death eater. Except the icy, prominent future death eater winked jokingly, bringing a smile to her lips. She couldn't help it. Draco Malfoy winked; the whole idea was simply ludicrous. Their contact was broken as Pansy Parkinson threw herself at Draco's back, resting her head on the crane of his neck. 

Ginny sniffed and looked down at her plate.  
  
*********

"The first banquet of the year is always so dull," Draco complained. Crabbe and Goyle agreed clumsily. He turned his eyes to the first years. Most looked like they were on the verge of a mental breakdown. 

Arriving at the conclusion that they were all cowards, he then turned his attention to the Gryffindor table. Harry Potter and the Granger girl were talking, giving each other lovesick looks. Potter's redheaded sidekick was trying to get the attention of Yvette Delacour.

Next to her, was Ginny. She played around with a strand of her soft, gold-streaked red hair, looking dejected. Draco saw her lift her head and watch the first years with mild interest. She turned to his direction. For a moment her eyes searched the Slytherin table, finally locking her gaze with him. Grey met brown like the foggy sky would falling leaves on a crisp autumn day. The few seconds that their eyes shared lasted forever. All around him, Slytherins cheered as another first year joined the table, but he didn't move. Her eyes presented a challenge, refusing to back down and break her gaze. 

He winked and thought he saw the corners of her mouth tugging up. He realized that the normally cheerful Ginny hadn't smiled since their arrival at Hogwarts. Draco found himself almost eager to see her cheerful grin when a heavily perfumed girl threw herself at him. 

"Hello, Draco honey," she purred into his ear.

He was hardly able to suppress his groan. Pansy was probably one of the most attractive girls in school with her strawberry blonde hair and deep green eyes that were framed with thick lashes. Her pouty lips and perky nose completed her perfect complexion. Despite her good looks and slim, curvy body, Draco despised her. Ever since the Yule ball in fourth year, Pansy had made it clear that Draco was her man. Well it sure had been news to his ears. He had explained to her that he simply wasn't interested. She had either ignored his protests completely or said, "Oh, Draco. I know you love me," or," Draco, you don't know what you're saying. How come you haven't gotten any flowers for me? All the other girls get them." Finally he gave up, resorting to avoiding her as much as possible. He nodded along as she described her inane activities of the day. 

Pansy chatted away incessantly, relieved to have averted his attention from the Gryffindor table. It seemed that he and Ginny Weasley were making deep eye contact, something that she couldn't afford.  
  
***************

"Hey, Yvette," said Ron, tapping on her shoulder. "That girl looks part veela."

"Who?" she asked, lazily.

"The girl next to Padma at the Ravenclaw table."

"No, she isn't _blonde_ enough."

"Are you sure?" Ron questioned.

She glanced condescendingly at him.

"We veela have a sixth sense about these things," she explained with an air of superiority. She opened her mouth to say more, but before she could, Dumbledore began to speak. It was time for the beginning of the year speech and song. Afterwards, when Ron turned to Yvette once more, she was already engrossed in conversation with Dean Thomas. 

He sighed and turned to his two best friends who seemed to be having _way_ too much fun for just eating spaghetti. Ron then looked at his little sister, expecting her to be giving disappointed looks to Harry. He started at the sight of the empty space that Ginny occupied only a moment ago.

*********

Ginny groaned. She was usually excited by the prospect of new first years but today was _not_ her day. Not only were Harry and Hermione giggling far too much for sixth years, but Ron had sat between her and Yvette. She pushed away her untouched plate and walked towards the banquet doors. Who would notice? Yvette was caught up with Dean Thomas, Ron was caught up with Yvette, and Harry and Hermione were caught up with each other. As she passed by the tables, she noticed many more couples than years before. Perhaps it was just her imagination. Passing the Slytherin table, she scanned it for Draco. Surprisingly, he was nowhere to be found. Ah well, he's probably making out with Pansy Parkinson in a hall closet, she thought. Ginny opened the Great Hall doors and stepped into the familiar halls. 

She picked up her pace as she headed for the Gryffindor Tower, stopping in front of the fat lady's portrait. What was the password? She groaned, coming to the realization that they hadn't been given the new password yet. 

"Need some help Weasley?" came a voice, drifting towards her. Ginny mentally pounded her head against the wall. Today was definitely not a good day.

"Well, Malfoy. You certainly have a knack for showing up where you're not wanted."

"Not wanted? I think not, you were crying out for the attention of a good looking Slytherin."

"Really, who would that be?" she drawled. 

"Surely, you know the answer to that," he said coming closer. "Even Weasley's aren't that thick."

Ginny growled in response. 

He continued with a smirk, "If you want a place to sleep, my door is always open." With that, he walked away.

Ginny growled again. Malfoy always needed the last word, didn't he? What was with him today? Maybe it was that thing her father and Lucius Malfoy had agreed upon. Or maybe it was just another one of Draco's sick jokes. 

**************

That first day was a definite omen. To Ginny, the idea of a guy following her around wasn't completely unappealing. What was unappealing was the fact that the guy was Malfoy, the boy that made fun of her and her family for being poor, for being "muggle-lovers". Her father had asked her to be civil to him. Why? Now, all of a sudden, Malfoy was everywhere. She saw him between her classes, after classes, on Hogsmeade trips. He would make fun of her or tease her, making her fume with anger, or blush with embarrassment. She had not always remained civil. No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, she couldn't manage it. Today, she had even tried a different, longer route to Transfiguration and arrived late. And now she had detention. 

Ginny cautiously opened the door and peered inside. The sun had gone down, leaving the empty classroom lit only by candlelight. She slipped into a seat in the front row and waited for a few minutes before McGonagall entered. 

"Good evening, Ms. Weasley," she greeted her.

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall."

"You are the only one with detention today. Apparently, your fellow students have a greater respect for punctuality."

"Yes, ma'am," she replied. McGonagall was certainly on the warpath tonight. 

"I have a teacher's meeting to attend. I planned on leaving you in the supervision of my top student."

Ginny brightened up a bit. She would at least be with Hermione. 

"However, Ms. Granger already had plans for this afternoon."

"Snogging Harry, no doubt," Ginny thought with a touch bitterness.

"So, I'll leave you in the care of my second best student. Behave during your detention, Ginny," she said and strolled out as briskly as she came in. In walked Draco Malfoy.

"Hi Weasel," he said. Ginny gaped at him. 

"_You're_ the second best student?"

"Yeah, so?" he snapped.

"So, tell me how much did it take to bribe McGonagall for high marks?" she questioned innocently. She knew that by asking that, she wasn't being "civil" but she couldn't help herself. 

"I didn't. A hypnotic curse works the same way," he replied. 

Ginny briefly wondered if he was joking. 

"Follow me." He turned and left the room. She stood up and hurried to catch up with him. They walked in silence: Draco with long, strong strides and Ginny with quick, scampering steps. He led her to the north lawn. The grass was long and scattered with weeds. 

"What happened?" Ginny asked. The grass was usually perfectly kept.

"Sprout tried out some new charms for the lawn. There were a few glitches," he explained. 

"Just a few?"

"Fine, they didn't work at all. This week, starting on Tuesday, all students with detention were sent to one of the lawns. Today is Friday, so this is the last portion to fix up."

"Well, am I the only one with detention today?"

"It seems so."

Ginny looked at the large expanse of messy green grass and groaned.

"Don't just stand there! Get to work," Draco snapped.   
"I'm supposed to mow the lawn in the dark?"

"_Lumos_," he said airily with a wave of his wand. "Now, start weeding."

Grudgingly, Ginny got on her knees and started pulling out the first patch of weeds she saw. 

Draco leaned against a nearby tree and started to read a book, while Ginny weeded of what she estimated to be a fifth of the north lawn. Then she degnomed, tossing the garden gnomes as far as possible. Most hit the tree the Draco was resting by. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to actually hit him. When finished, she was covered with dirt, sweat, and bite marks from the gnomes. Sighing, she trudged towards the lawn mower. 

All this work just for being late to class, she thought. She would have been content with five points from Gryffindor or even ten. All this work because of _him_. Ginny glared in Draco's direction. He had charmed his lighted want to float around her as she worked. She felt a strong urge to grab the wand and snap it in half, but decided against the notion only because she would have to pay for it afterwards. She sighed again and began to cut the grass.

Half an hour later, she completed the task. She collapsed on the neatly trimmed expanse of green and stared up at the sky. Her neck was sticky with sweat. Her robes had grass stains and her hands were covered with dirt and bite marks. Weeds were caught in her wavy red locks, but she was happy. Happy that her work was done and she could return to Gryffindor tower for a good night's sleep. 

"Missed a spot." A shadow stood over her, offering her unwanted shade from the mellow moonlight. 

Ginny sat up and faced Draco with as much anger and aggression she could muster. 

"See, over there, that big patch of weeds."

Ginny looked over at where he was pointing. Sure enough, there was a miniscule weed on the _opposite_ end of the lawn. The illuminated wand danced towards the forlorn looking plant. Ginny heaved herself off the ground. She stood shakily and started towards the wand's lighted trail. Why was everything blurring? She tried to focus on Draco's wand, but one wand became four in her dizzying vision.

Draco glanced up in time to see Ginny hit the ground. "Weasley?" he queried. "Need help walking now?" 

There was no response. 

"Weasley?" he questioned again worriedly. "Ginny?" he whispered as he got down on his knees. He slid his hands under Ginny's back and slowly lifted her up into his arms. He looked down at her pale face. Her breathing was shallow and she lay dangerously still. Draco quickened his strides to reach the infirmary. He pushed open the door with his back and as he turned, an outraged voice boomed in his ears. 

"What have you done to my sister!?"

****************

END OF CHAPTER TWO

Dorthey Star - You were our first review! Thank you sooooo much. 

mereschino - okay, second chapter is posted. ^_^

witchy_grrl - yup, Ginny got the news. We actually have another version of the "Arthur tells Ginny" scene, but we decided on this one. Here's the other one. 

~ Arthur Weasley had sat Ginny down looking guilty and apologetic, almost like Ron had after Pigwidgeon had ripped apart her teddy bear. She sighed sadly then forced herself out of her daydreams. She hadn't heard a word her father said.

"…so could you just try to be nice to him?" her father mumbled.

"Who?" Ginny replied, confused.

"Draco Malfoy, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, looking exasperated. "And please don't mention this to your brothers, especially Ron. They would be outraged." He again, looked worried.

"Yes, father. I'll try," Ginny replied, trying to sooth him. Afterwards, Ginny wondered about the motivation behind her father's request, but decided it was just another one of his eccentric ideas. ~

Amyza - Glad you like our story. I don't think it's that much like yours. To tell the truth, we started writing this back in July or August of 2001. Other "Ginny must marry Draco" stories popped up and we got nervous, so we decided to post. It took us so long cuz we wanted to perfect and stuff. Yeah, okay. Anyway… The writing in our first few chapters is still shaky. It'll get better later.

THANX TO ALL ANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT DECIDE TO REVIEW US LATER!!! WE LOVE YOU! ^_^

Thanks to all the people that reviewed for us! (Yeah, I know. I'm getting repetitive.) We can't express the joy that you filled our hearts with. You know what's sad? We thought we would have to review for ourselves and we didn't! Yeah, okay. Anyway, chapter three is done. It's the same deal as before: review and we'll post. Once again, we thank you in advance cuz we know you will! ^_^ 

CLICK ON REVIEW BUTTON BELOW! 

~ Sellene and Mignonne


	3. In Which Ron Gets Really Mad

__

LAST CHAPTER...

Draco glanced up in time to see Ginny hit the ground. "Weasley?" he queried. "Need help walking now?" 

There was no response. 

"Weasley?" he questioned again worriedly. "Ginny?" he whispered as he got down on his knees. He slid his hands under Ginny's back and slowly lifted her up into his arms. He looked down at her pale face. Her breathing was shallow and she lay dangerously still. Draco quickened his strides to reach the infirmary. He pushed open the door with his back and as he turned, an outraged voice boomed in his ears. 

"What have you done to my sister!?"

CHAPTER THREE - IN WHICH RON GETS REALLY MAD

It dawned on Draco how bad this looked. Ginny was covered with mud, grime, and sweat. His own normally immaculate appearance was tousled with mud that covered his knees, legs, and arms.

Draco took in the scene before him. He could see Potter's shocked eyes peering out from behind the hospital curtain. Hermione was sitting in a stool with blank confusion on her face. Draco would have smirked at her expression because for once she was speechless, but he had greater concerns. 

Abruptly, Ron stood, knocking over his stool. His face somehow managed to look furious, concerned and appalled simultaneously.

"Malfoy…" Ron shouted, lunging towards Draco, only to stop himself after realizing his sister was in the way. 

Madame Pomfrey burst in. "Ron! You should know better by now," she scolded. "This is a place to rest, a place for peace and quiet! Out! Out!" she whispered angrily. Ron shuffled slowly towards the door glaring over his shoulder with every step he took. Hermione walked behind him, gently nudging him forward. She murmured whispers of comfort into his ear.   
Draco envisioned Ron as an angry horse with Hermione purring comments to calm him. At the moment, he even looked like one. The thought brought out the infamous smirk that he had been holding down. The last thing Ron saw through the closing door was Draco Malfoy holding Ginny in his arms, wearing a snide smile.  
Madame Pomfrey directed him to a bed. "What happened, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, as she bustled about to gather brews and medicines.   
Draco thought back to Ginny's detention. "Weasley was weeding a section of the lawn for detention. It was my job to supervise her. After a few hours, she sat down and announced she was finished. I then pointed out a few weeds she missed. When I turned, I saw her hit the ground." He said this all calmly and clearly without a hint of hesitation or guilt. "I carried her up here and you know the rest."

She nodded. Her enchanted wand was traveling up and down the length of Ginny's body. Suddenly, the wand began to spin furiously, coming to a stop at Draco's face. Bits of twinkling dust spritzed out of the end and evaporated into the air. Draco raised an eyebrow.  
Madame Pomfrey looked up and blinked. "Draco, I think you should leave her with me." 

There was a long pause. Draco stood. "Of course," he said, brushing off his robes. He seemed to walk a bit slower than usual, shutting the door gently behind him.

Madame Pomfrey starred at the scintillating wand. With the absence of Draco, the wand had gone back to floating above Ginny's body. "How strange," she thought. The wand had been enchanted to search for any signs of magical involvement with a patient. It would spin if a curse or potion were detected.   
Never had the wand lit up or pointed at another individual. It was almost as if the same curse had affected both Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley. Madame Pomfrey sighed and opened another cabinet, rummaging for her old spell books.   
  
  
******

Ron sat in a common room chair, glaring angrily at the chessboard. The fireplace crackled behind him, marching his hot rage. He muttered something about splitting Malfoy in half first thing in the morning. "I bet he caused this!" he grumbled. "When I get to him, I'll…I'll…"  
"Umm…Ron. It's your turn," Hermione said with a mix of concern and annoyance. "Your king can't move four spaces!"

Ron gazed at the board and moved his castle. "Check-mate," he said.

"Ron, are you okay?"

"What do you mean am I okay? My little sister was put in the infirmary by Malfoy and you ask me if I'm alright?" he roared in response. 

All the Gryffindors turned their heads toward the yelling at the end of the common room. When they saw the cause of commotion, they turned back around. It was just another one of Ron's frequent outbursts. A buzz of gossip began to travel quickly. 

Hermione sighed. "Well, if that's how you're going to be, I guess there is no point talking to you." She swept out of her chair and started up the steps to the girl's chambers. Ron blinked and dropped wearily into his chair. He would have to apologize to Hermione in the morning. He returned to his thoughts of Ginny lying in the hospital bed unconscious. He pictured Malfoy beating her violently into the ground and his rage fired up once more. 

******

Harry strolled down the corridors to the Gryffindor tower in a daze. Madame Pomfrey had wrapped his sprained wrist in a bandage with some magical ointment. Apparently he had sprained his wrist so many times, that he developed an immunity to the spell that could heal it. She sent him on his way with a worried look on her face. Harry sighed and directed his thoughts to Draco Malfoy. He had a growing hope that Malfoy had changed this year. At least he had reduced the number of rude comments and immature pranks. Harry then visualized Ginny lying prone on a pure white bed, her fiery hair spread our around her. Over the years, he had begun to see Ginny as his own little sister. Harry quickened his pace, his angry thoughts still focused on Malfoy. He turned the corner sharply and ran straight into the one person that he did not want to see.

******

The dark Hogwarts halls resonated an eerieness similar to the Malfoy mansion. The endless, twisting corridors were empty except for the occasional mummers from ghosts and students out of bed. Draco placed one foot carefully in front of the other. As a child, he was denied many "normal" games and toys so he made up his own. One had been to walk as silently as possible, to seem as he was floating. Even now, he continued this practice. A Malfoy _never_ shuffled or scampered and he may as well be as graceful as he could. He heard some clipped footsteps coming down the corridor. "Probably a lost first year," he thought smugly as he opened his mouth to give the student a piece of his mind. He decided against it when the familiar sight of tousled black hair and broken glasses clumsily crashed into him.  
"Still getting lost, Potter?"

"Still being a git, Malfoy?" Harry retorted, pushing himself into Draco's face. "It's not enough to put fifth year girls in the hospital? Haven't filled out your daily quota of cruelty?" He shoved Draco back against a wall.

Draco's eyes narrowed as he grabbed Harry by the collar of his robes and shook him. Harry pulled his fist back for a punch when approaching footsteps were heard. 

The unmistakable sound of Filch's shuffling feet echoed hauntingly in the empty hall. Draco immediately released Harry and headed swiftly towards the sound of Filch.   
Harry grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" he hissed. "We've got to hide."

"It's moments like these that prove the simplicity of Gryffindors," Draco scoffed, irritably. He brushed off Harry's hand and continued walking. Harry crept after him, waiting for Draco to be knocked off his pedestal.

"Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing in the halls at this hour?" Filch's unpleasant voice dripped with suspicion and astonishment. 

Harry listened in amazement as Malfoy adopted a honeyed tone. 

"I was returning to the dungeons from the infirmary when I heard you coming by and I thought I should come thank you for all your work around Hogwarts."

Filch looked thoroughly taken back. "Y-you-you're welcome," he answered awkwardly. 

Draco continued in his most grateful tone. "You might find some students out of bed down the hall. I heard some noises."

Filch peered hopefully down the corridor. "I must be going, Mr. Malfoy. Go straight to your dormitory."

"Of course, sir," Draco replied. He turned slightly and winked smugly at Harry before sauntering sedately towards the dungeons. 

Harry cursed silently and scampered off as Filch came towards him. 

*********  


Ginny woke up the next morning, feeling calm and refreshed. She stretched lazily in bed and opened her eyes only to find herself in the hospital wing. The night before flooded back to her in a rushing stream. There was that one last patch of weeds. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember more. 

"Missed a spot," Draco had said in an every so irritating tone. At that moment, she had wanted to be very far from him, to never see him again. _He_ was the reason she got detention. If only he would just go away… Then all of a sudden, dizziness had overcome her. It was as if all her thoughts were rushing into each other, causing an explosion into darkness. The last thing she heard before completely blacking out was his voice hoarsely whispering her name. 

"Virginia," Madame Pomfrey entered the room. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she piped merrily. She wore a bright smile, but her day had dimmed to a dreadful gray. 

"You seem fine. You must have passed out from exhaustion."

"No kidding," she thought.

Madame Pomfrey continued. "If it were up to me, I would keep you here a day more, but your headmaster wishes to speak to you in his office."

"In his office?"

"Yes, dear. Now hurry along to your dormitory to change. He's expecting you in an hour."

"An hour? But what about class?"

"It's Saturday dear."

"Oh."

**************

Ron stormed down towards the Slytherin dungeons with Harry and Hermione at his heels. He had vowed to himself that he would make Malfoy pay for whatever he did to Ginny.

"Ron, stop," Hermione pleaded. "This won't do any good."

Ron stopped and turned sharply to face Hermione. 

"You think you know everything, don't you?" he snapped. "You may not care about my little sister, but I do!"

Harry was torn between his two best friends. Before he could do anything, Ron opened his mouth once more. 

"What do you have against Ginny anyway? You're the one who got Harry."

Hermione glared at Ron. Both of them were oblivious to their dumbfounded friend beside them. 

"Well, Ronniekins. If you think I don't care about Ginny, then go on! Go pound on Malfoy! Get sent to the infirmary _again_ for all I care!"

"Fine!" He turned and resumed walking. Hermione ran in front of him.

"You stupid git!" she screamed. "What good would it do if you killed Malfoy? You don't even know what happened."

"Fine, then. Pray tell. What did happen?" Ron answered with a scowl.

"Ginny had detention last night."

"We all know that."

"I was supposed to supervise her, because I'm the top student. However, I wanted to watch Harry play at quidditch practice."

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry looked at him, then at Hermione. He resolved to remain silent. 

"Professor McGonagall probably left her in the care of her second best student. I didn't realize it before, but that would probably be Malfoy."

Harry and Ron gaped at her incredulously. The thought of Malfoy being remotely near the top of the class was just too hard to believe. 

"Yes, it's Malfoy."

"So you left her with Malfoy?" Ron asked, practically shaking with fury.

"Well, I didn't realize it would be _him_ at the time. Ginny must have over-exerted herself in detention and Malfoy simply carried her to the infirmary."

Both Harry and Ron looked prepared to argue. 

"Think about it," she continued. "Would he bring her to the infirmary if he was the one who hurt her?"

Ron and Harry closed their mouths. Hermione had a point. It was Harry who spoke first. "Why don't we go visit Ginny?"

"Yeah. And if you still want to bash Malfoy's head in after that, it won't be too late," Hermione pointed out. 

"You're right," Ron said, brightening up a little. "Yvette might even be there. 

Harry and Hermione looked at each other knowingly. 

"What?" Ron said. 

END OF CHAPTER THREE

Yeah, we know. Short chapter. Not much happened. Stuff happens in chapter four though. Review and we'll post chapter four. ^_^

~ Sellene and Mignonne


	4. In Which Detention Supervisors Are In Ne...

Hey for once this is Mignonne uploading a chapter!! Thanks to all the people who reviewed us… it's really great of you. The chapter after this has a lot more action…but the plot is starting to build…=)

Disclaimer: We are making no money of this project (do you really think anyone would pay?) and all rights belong to JK Rowling, WB etc.

Chapter 4

In Which Detention Supervisors Are In Need

Ginny stood in anticipation before the entrance to the Headmaster's office. She had only been in the office once in the past, after the chamber of secrets, but the memory of that instance was only a foggy dream. Tapping her foot impatiently, she examined the gargoyle before the door. Was it laughing at her?

The sound of footsteps alerted her of an approaching figure. "Headmaster D…," she began before meeting the gray eyes of Draco Malfoy in surprise. What was he dong here? Ginny glared bitterly at him: after all the detention was all his fault.

"It seems Weasleys do rebound suspiciously quick," Draco teased.

Ginny opened her mouth and shut it. Was that even an insult? Anything Malfoy said seemed cynical.

"Ms. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy. I expected you later."

Both of them turned like cornered animals, as Dumbledore peered out of his office. Draco straightened and pretended to be not startled; no one caught a Malfoy by surprise.

****************

He tried to keep his eyes open as the Headmaster rummaged about for something or another. Clusters of foreign looking objects lay scattered around the majestic, but comfortable office. A dish of muggle candies sat on the desk. Fawkes was preening on his perch by the fireplace.

"Aah, here it is," exclaimed Dumbledore. Draco and Ginny looked up. Their headmaster held a large tome that was falling apart at the seams. He opened the book gently. "This is a passage that I thought might be of concern to the two of you."

He cleared his throat before beginning to read. "In ancient times, natural selection and an excessive amount of duels reduced the number of weaklings and squibs. Any born were usually killed. Thus, even the most common wizards could cast awesome spells. Curses from even centuries before carry the same weight today. A perfect example is the case of Clarence Weatherby who, when caught in a clash between two warring families, cursed them to be united in marriage. An unlucky pair would be forced to wed. If they were not joined by age twenty, both would waste away slowly until the specific conditions were met. No reversal to this curse was ever found, despite numerous attempts from both families."

Dumbledore shut the book and looked at them expectantly. Silence greeted him. It was Ginny who spoke first.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, but how does that apply to me…us?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Ms. Weasley, perhaps I should speak with Mr. Malfoy alone. Could you please wait outside?"

The headmaster removed his reading glasses as Ginny left the room. "Did you know these few years have been the most problematic in my entire teaching career?"

Draco sat still. How do you respond to a statement like that from Dumbledore? Draco never saw him as anything but a clever and cheerful old man, but now he seemed tired and frustrated.

The headmaster smiled. "You're not to blame, of course. I presume you understand the passage pertained to Virginia Weasley and yourself."

Draco nodded. "Is that why Weas- err… Virginia passed out?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "You must realize the danger of your situation. You're nearing your seventeenth year. You and Ms. Weasley must be together as much as possible, so that's why I'm-" He paused. "It would be best for both of you to be present."

Ginny tapped her foot impatiently. She couldn't believe Malfoy was being trusted and not her. She looked up in time to see Dumbledore motion her back in.

"Now, as both of you probably know, the professors of Hogwarts have been quite busy this year. They've needed to assign detention supervision to some students. Mr. Malfoy, you've had this duty on several occasions." Dumbledore nodded towards Draco. "And as both of you are at the top of your classes, it is only natural that both of you have the privilege of supervising detention. Since this is a new program, the professors decided the supervisors will work in pairs. It has been requested for you two to work together. Please do not disappoint us."

Ginny sat back, halting an oncoming burst of rage. Malfoy, of all people! Her fingernails dug onto her palms within her clenched fists. She would not disappoint Dumbledore. She stole a glance at Malfoy. How does he always manage to look so smug? Can't he show any emotion? She suppressed another urge to scream.

Dumbledore smiled happily, appearing not to notice the tension in the room. "Your first session is two weeks from now. Your head professors will provide you with the details. Have a good day."

**************

Ginny sat nervously on a bench by the south lawn. For the past few days, she had listlessly drifted from class to class, flooded with languor. She was at a breaking point, not in the mood to deal with Malfoy. They had agreed to meet here a half-hour ago and he was nowhere to be seen. The detention "counselors" would meet with the Hogwarts staff on a weekly basis. "We're not really detention counselors," Ginny reflected, smiling to herself. "More like…semi-professors." At least she was the first Weasley to be part of this. All her brothers had their own legacy at Hogwarts. She was buried in their shadow. Maybe, she too would get a chance to shine. The first meeting was in two days and each pair was assigned a paper to write together. Where was Malfoy?

********

Hermione groaned, cursing her fortune to be partnered with such an airhead. The four professors of each house had finally decided to have a formally organized student detention committee. The top students from each house, that were fifth years or above, were chosen to be part of this elite group. They were split into pairs and Hermione was with Yvette Delacour, the blondest blonde of Gryffindor house.

"Yvette, hello?" She waved her hands in front of Yvette's face. "Anyone home?"

Yvette was snapped out of her daydreams. "Oh yes, Hermione. Where were we?" she asked, pretending to have been listening.

Hermione groaned again. How did Yvette manage to become a part of this program?

"We have to write an essay, remember?"

"Oh, yes. That is right," Yvette answered, her English slightly tainted with a French accent. She stood up. "I truly am sorry, Hermione. But I really must go. Ginny and I have plans."

"But, the essay…" Hermione sputtered.

"Do not worry about the essay. I'll take care of it. Buhbye." And with that Yvette flounced out of the library.

Hermione stood to go after her but slumped back down into her seat. The essay was due in two days and they hadn't written a word. She grabbed a quill, prepared to start writing. Someone had to get it done, and she wasn't about to depend on Yvette.

She began to flip through the books she had collected. On the bottom of the pile she found "Curses and Me" by Gilderoy Lockhart. "The essay can wait," she though happily and opened the book. There were always interesting facts interwoven with Gilderoy's boasts.

"Hey," Harry slid into the seat beside her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Hermione slipped the book into her book bag, surprised that two hours had already passed since Yvette's departure. Normally, she would have been irritated by an interruption, but after an eternity of trying to pry Yvette out of daydreams, Harry was just the person she wanted to see.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing…just I have to work with Yvette on the detention committee essay and well…it's frustrating." She sighed. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but Ron is…slightly...err... concerned about Ginny."

"Slightly? He's been ranting all day about how his baby sister has to work with a Malfoy snob."

"Did Ginny ever tell you what happened that night?"

"Well…nothing except for the fact she fainted. You know, Ginny and I aren't that close anymore. Especially after…"

"After this happened?" Harry drew Hermione in for a kiss.

"Yeah," she answered a moment later, giggling a little. She quickly became serious again. "I'm worried about her though. People don't faint without a reason. If it was from exhaustion, as Madame Pomfrey says, Ginny should still be resting."

"What else could have caused her to faint? Do you think Ginny's fainting from being with Malfoy?"

"Well…not exactly. She's been really tired lately too. Here, take a look at this." Hermione pulled out "Curses and Me" and flipped to where her bookmark lay.

"'Curses and me' by Gilderoy Lockhart," Harry read the title, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were over this idiot." He said, eyeing the winking picture of Lockhart on the cover.

Hermione sniffed. "Of course I am…" she replied, looking away. "Anyway, here on page 48, there's a footnote about curses throughout history."

"'Similar to the spell I performed to save the Lucinda family from peril, a wizard performed a lesser one centuries ago to counteract the curse placed on his family by Clarence Weatherby. The wizard family was involved in a feud with revolting serfs. Weatherby was caught in the middle of the feud and was fatally harmed. Weatherby then placed a curse upon both families to ensure that the two would be united in the marriage of a noble male to a female from the serf family. To prevent a rustic from ruining the royal bloodline, a wizard of the noble family made a spell that prevented the serfs from having a daughter. The royal bloodline continued unsoiled. The family allied with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the early 19th century and has requested to be unnamed. An unusual characteristic about the noble family is their genetic tradition of icy blonde hair, while the serfs have a history of fiery red hair. It is unknown if this fact is related to the spell."

"Well?" Hermione asked.

"So, now you're saying that the two families are the Weasley's and the Malfoy's?" Harry asked, quizzically.

"Don't you get it?"

"No."

"The Weasley's have a history for having sons. You don't hear about Ginny or Ron having any aunts, great aunts, or even female cousins on her father's side."

"The serf family was the Weasleys?"

"Well…" Hermione glanced down at the desk. "I was thinking…."

"That all the Malfoy's and Weasley's will die if Malfoy and Ginny don't get married?" Harried said with a smile in his voice.

"Well…yes."

Harry laughed. "Hermione, I think this time your hypothesis is just a little too unrealistic."

Hermione glared at Harry. The old Harry would have just kept smiling, but boyfriend-Harry sealed his lips tightly though his eyes still danced with laughter.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he suggested finally.

Hermione looked sadly at her books and opened her mouth to turn him down but then a thought occurred to her.

Why could Yvette make plans and not her? Hermione smiled up at Harry.

"Why not?" she said, as she started to pack her books into her bag.

**********

Draco picked up his pace as he glanced at his watch. The extremely expensive timepiece was extremely unhelpful. Flashing words proclaimed, "You're late!" Draco grumbled silently, but refused to scuttle. He threw open the side doors to the north lawn, panicking when he saw no sign of Ginny Weasley. He cursed under his breath. Didn't she know this was for her own good?

"Looking for me?" came a melodious female voice. Draco whirled around. Ginny was leaning against a tree with the sun highlighting her hair. She had a spark in her eyes Draco had never seen in Pansy or any of the other Slytherin girls.

"I hope you at least remembered to bring the recommended books on curses and their history," Ginny continued condescendingly.

Draco scoffed. "Of course, Weasley. You don't think I got to the top of my class just on my good looks."

"If your grades were based on your looks, you would have never passed first year," she shot back. Ginny was shocked with herself. She knew Malfoy was only joking, but the words seemed to just pop out of her mouth.

Draco gazed at Ginny Weasley. He was taken back but countered quickly. "At least I can get any girl I want. I don't have to follow one around like a pathetic dog," he sneered.

"Really. Well, you sure are following me around like one," she retorted, her anger flaring up. She looked into Malfoy's icy gray eyes, unable to guess his emotions. Was there a heart beneath his immaculate exterior? Before her mind could answer its own question, he spoke again.

"Is that what you think, Weasley? That you're worth following around?"

"I don't hear you denying it," she shot back.

Draco stayed silent. Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but closed it. Had she just won a verbal match with Malfoy?

"Look, we have to work together on this project," Draco said at last.

"So? Does that mean I have to like you?"

"No."

"Well, good. I doubt anyone besides those fawning Slytherin girls could ever be nice to scum like you," Ginny said, still in shock with both Malfoy and herself.

His face was devoid of expression. The sun was dipping into the horizon and she was beautiful standing before him, glaring bitterly. "My loving fiancé," he thought and mentally laughed to himself. He could answer with a slick insult, but what good would that do? He sighed.

Ginny stood, staring at him. She had stopped leaning against the tree and desperately wanted to lie on the ground to rest her legs. "But, I won't," she thought with determination. This was a challenge, like the one at the first banquet of the year. She wouldn't back down. She wasn't weak.

"Weasley," Draco broke the silence. "What do you hate most about me?"

"Just you in general," she answered in a careless tone.

"You can see good in everyone. Why not me?"

Ginny looked away from him. Had she hurt him? Was that even possible? She closed her eyes and sighed. She suddenly felt very tired, over come with fatigue. She couldn't stand for much longer. A familiar sensation crawled back into her mind: a dizzy and dark feeling that seemed to push at her as if to knock her down. Ginny fought against it. She was strong. She wouldn't back down. She opened her eyes and looked into his cold, unmoving gaze.

"Tell me, Malfoy. Do you search for evil in me?"

"No, of course not." Draco replied, confused.

"Exactly," Ginny said harshly. "You don't search a good person for the small amount of cruelty in them. It's pointless. It's the same with you, Malfoy. It's just as useless to search for good in you." She stopped. That had gone far past their usual line of banter. She bit her lip, wanting to look down, but refusing to tear her eyes away from his.

His expression didn't waver. "The only problem with that, Weasley, is that you never tried to find out for yourself which category I'm in," he replied, turning on his heel and walking back into the castle, not looking back, never seeing her hit the ground.

**********

Yvette ducked into the empty classroom. She felt awful for lying to Hermione, but she had to leave. She scanned the dark classroom. Was he in here? She heard a noise behind her and turned in relief. "You scared me, Dean. You know I don't like the dark."

She started and began to scream at the horror before her, heedless of its desperate motioning for silence.

**********

END OF CHAPTER FOUR

Ohhh cliff hanger!! Yeah!! So keep the reviews going. We're in the process of fixing chapter five. This is Mignonne signing off. =) 


	5. In Which Someone is Given a Chance

Hey y'all we feel soooo special…!!! All these reviews…If your wondering we also post at www.schnoogle.com but fanfiction.net usually has the most up to date version.  
  
  
  
************************  
  
Last chapter…  
  
Yvette ducked into the empty classroom. She felt awful for lying to Hermione, but she had to leave. She scanned the dark classroom. Was he in here? She heard a noise behind her and turned in relief. "You scared me, you know I don't like the dark."  
  
She started and began to scream at the horror before her, heedless of its desperate motioning for silence.  
  
  
  
Chapter 5 - In Which Someone is Given a Chance  
  
***********  
  
"Yvette," the beast croaked. "Don't scream. It's me, Ron."  
  
She stopped screaming and gawked. Indeed, it was Ron. She could barely make out his bright orange hair.  
  
"What happened to you?" she shrieked.  
  
"Shh," Ron whispered urgently. "I tried to create a potion to locate the cause of Ginny's fainting spell and it… sort of exploded in my face."  
  
"What about Dean?" she inquired, suspiciously. "He asked me to meet him here."  
  
"I um…he…I sent that letter, not Dean," Ron, mumbled, a guilty expression plastered to his face.  
  
Yvette felt hurt. "You thought I wouldn't come if you just said, 'Yvette, I need your help'?"  
  
"It's not that. It's just that well-you see…I…err," Ron spluttered.  
  
"It's okay. I'll see what I can do," she said, peering at him. "Could you light some candles or something? I can barely see you."  
  
Ron sighed. "Lumos," he muttered under his breath.  
  
Yvette gasped as the wand shed rays of light upon Ginny's distorted brother. "You know I've only learned basic healing charms," she said, cautiously reaching out to touch his face. "You really should go visit Madame Pomfrey."  
  
Ron squirmed slightly. "Well, I wasn't supposed to use those ingredients or even this classroom, really…"  
  
********  
  
It was a sleepness night for recurring thoughts plagued his all too active mind. Draco turned on to his side and opened his eyes to the pitch black stillness that blanketed the Slytherin dormitories. The curtains surrounding his bed blocked the view of his fellow roommates, but he could still hear their consistent snores. Draco scowled. Why did he feel guilty? It was only Weasley putting her foot in her mouth.  
  
He tried to imagine marriage with her. At first, he saw a revised version of his own parents: Ginny aloof and distant and himself harsh and cruel. He dismissed the idea. Ginny aloof?  
  
Another vision rose unbidden in his mind. He saw Weasley screaming angrily at him as millions of red-haired children ran chaotically through the house, knocking over thousand galleon chairs and fragmenting priceless works of art.  
  
Draco exhaled wearily and sat up, throwing his legs over the sides of his bed. He needed to leave the claustrophobic dungeons before his scurrying thoughts imploded violently in his head. After pulling on a set of robes, he dragged himself through the dark and empty school to the north lawn. He stared up at the stars dangling from the midnight sky and inhaled chilly night air, saturating a sense of placid despair. "I shouldn't have left her this afternoon," he thought. "She could have fainted or worse, slipped in to a coma."  
  
**********  
  
Yvette ran her hands across the titles of the musty books in the Potions classroom. There had to be an antidote to whatever potion Ron fed himself.  
  
Ron stood awkwardly in the center of the room, unsure as to what to do with himself. The helpless expression he wore was hard to decipher on his wrinkled, bloated face. His numerous freckles had all grown into oversized moles and his eyes had sunk deep into his head. Only the flaming red Weasley hair remained unchanged.  
  
"This should have something in it," Yvette said suddenly, her voice breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room. She pulled a heavy tome from the shelf titled "Antidotes to Aggravating and Annoying Potions."  
  
"I hope so," Ron mumbled, looking down at what used to be his hands. Soon after he scribbled the note to Yvette, his fingers had begun to melt together, quickly metamorphosing into webbed frog-like feet.  
  
"Ron, what exactly did you feed yourself?"  
  
"I was in a hurry…and I'm not that good at potions," he trailed off. It was a miracle he could still blubber words out of his further expanding mouth. Was it his imagination or was he beginning to grow fur?  
  
Yvette glanced at him, stunned by what she saw. The tall, freckled red-head was taking on the appearance of an ape-like amphibian. "Ron," she said shakily. "I don't think I can help you."  
  
"Well, you can't make it worse," he pointed out.  
  
"You're getting worse on your own!"  
  
"I know," he answered sadly.  
  
Yvette sighed. "Let's get you to Madame Pomfrey."  
  
"But…," he stammered. "People will see me!"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. " You're going to have to come out some time!"  
  
  
  
*************  
  
Draco stared at the icy cold lake. The moon's reflection in the water was serene and peaceful. He indulged himself in a moment of contentment, momentarily letting go of his frustrations with Ginny. Shaking his head, he tore his eyes from the scene before him. He shouldn't have stalked away. Not only did she hate him more than ever, but they hadn't even worked on their project. Draco looked over by the tree where they had talked.  
  
"…It's just as useless to search for good in you…" Ginny's voice echoed in his ears. He turned his face skyward just in time to see snow begin to sprinkle down. He shivered and turned, giving the tree a final glimpse.  
  
He squinted to see better. What was that clump by the oak? Was that red hair? He hurried over to the unconscious Ginny and turned her over. He peered into her face, his anxiety lessened by her slow-paced breathing. "This is becoming a habit, Weasley," he commented softly, as he started towards the infirmary.  
  
  
  
**************  
  
The jangling of the bells by her bed awakened Madame Pomfrey. She grabbed her robe and dashed into the first level of the hospital wing. Draco stood at the door with Ginny in his arms, both dusted with fresh snow. Madame Pomfrey hastily attended to Ginny.  
  
"Put her here, Draco," she ordered urgently, throwing open the door to a hospital room. She checked Ginny's vital signs, relieved to find them stable. "She'll be okay," she said finally.  
  
He nodded and got up slowly to leave though he seemed reluctant to do so.  
  
Madame Pomfrey smiled. "The Headmaster Dumbledore has informed me about the special circumstances," she said before starting up the stairs to her chambers. She had only climbed four steps when the bells rang again.  
  
"Another patient at this hour. Who could it be this time?" she thought, as she moved towards the door. She opened it and backed away furiously, screaming at the monster standing in the threshold.  
  
  
  
Draco heard Madame Pomfrey's yell and hastily pulled out his wand and headed back to the infirmary. He nearly choked at the sight of the creature in the doorway.  
  
The beast seemed to be a cross between a bear and a salamander. It slowly turned and glared at him angrily. The animal had Yvette Delacour by the hand. Draco drew another breath and steadied his wand hand.  
  
"It's Ron!" Yvette cried out in exasperation. "You have to help him."  
  
Madame Pomfrey blinked and returned to her business-like manner, leading Ron to a corner of the infirmary. Ron shot a vicious stare at Draco, who shuddered in return. He could easily shake off glares from Weasley, but from Beastman?  
  
Yvette looked at him quizzically. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Just checking on a friend," he said curtly and entered the private hospital room inhabited by Ginny. Yvette sighed and went over to Ron and Madame Pomfrey.  
  
Ron sat glumly on the corner bed in the infirmary. Yvette was ignoring him and seemed to be in her own world, while Madame Pomfrey was bustling about, throwing ingredients into a cauldron containing a bubbling putrid green concoction. He had an itch on his furry nose, and soon discovered webbed hands couldn't scratch adequately. He looked dejectedly into Madame Pomfrey's potion.  
  
*******  
  
Lucius Malfoy stared down at the open book. He ran his wand over the words, watching the ancient letters slowly fading into a decipherable language. The head of the Malfoy household leaned forward in his seat, eagerly awaiting the completion of the translation spell. His eyes quickly traveled down the page, his lips curving into a sinister smile. The answer had been there all along.  
  
**********  
  
Ginny's brow furrowed as she stirred in her sleep.  
  
She had hurt him. All she wanted to do was apologize. She saw herself run after the disappearing figure. Abruptly, he turned and smiled. She stopped running, relieved. He had forgiven her. It was okay now. His smile warmed her, bathing her in contentment. Ginny smiled back. She saw herself running into his arms, into his warm embrace.  
  
Suddenly, the cozy peace of mind faded and she was plunged into a sea of icy needles. She opened her mouth to scream. Instead, she was muffled by a sweet kiss. When his lips left hers, Ginny looked into his emerald eyes. Harry did love her after all. She let him sweep her off her feet, sliding her own hands around his neck. She gazed into his eyes as she rested in his arms. Harry's soft green eyes always revealed his thoughts; they were the windows into his soul. Moments ago, exhaustion had filled her, but his fervent kisses healed her. His warmth revived her. He bent to kiss her once more and she closed her eyes in anticipation. The kiss exploded and she almost broke it off in surprise. While the first kiss had healed her, this one ignited her soul. She felt complete, like she had met her other half. She opened her eyes and met icy gray.  
  
She gasped as she woke from the dream. She sat up in bed to find herself face to face with Draco Malfoy, his silvery gray eyes reflecting her own brown ones.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.  
  
Ginny was startled by the gentle quality of his voice. She nodded, trying to shake off the last instants of her dream. For a few seconds more, they stared into one another's eyes. She wanted desperately to pry through the icy barrier of his eyes, into his soul for a peek at his innermost emotions. He gazed back, hiding his true thoughts and feelings.  
  
It was Draco who broke off the gaze . "Go back to sleep, Weasley. You need the rest." He stood up to leave.  
  
Ginny shook her head. "No, Malfoy. I need some answers. We need to talk."  
  
Draco stopped in mid-stride and turned thoughtfully to her. Finally, he returned to the chair by her bed. "Talk then."  
  
"My family has been acting strange lately. My own father was trying to convince me to be nice to you. My brothers…with the exception of Ron are doing the same. Even Professor Dumbledore seems to be forcing us together."  
  
"Fine," he said curtly. "And what does that have to do with me?"  
  
Ginny tried her best to glare at him, but her head was beginning to throb.  
  
"Malfoy, my family is pushing me towards you for no apparent reason. As if that's not enough of a riddle for me to solve, now all of a sudden, you, Draco Malfoy, you've started to follow me around." She paused for him to reply. He didn't. "Malfoy, what's going on?" She peered into his face.  
  
He sighed. "Why is it so strange for us to get along? Why is that so wrong?"  
  
"I don't know!" Ginny said angrily. "Maybe, it's because you've teased me to tears about being poor, about having a crush on Harry Potter. Maybe it's because I'm a 'muggle-lover'. Maybe it's because you're a Malfoy and I'm a Weasley. We're like oil and water, fire and wood, bleach and black pants! We don't mix. It just doesn't work."  
  
"How do you know?" Draco replied, his tone becoming dangerously cold. "You've never tried me, Weasley. You never even gave me a chance." He softened a bit. "Just let me have a few weeks. If you never want to see me again after winter holiday, then I promise, I'll never bother you again.  
  
"A few weeks?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.  
  
"A few weeks."  
  
"How easy do you think I am, Malfoy?" she asked, skeptically.  
  
"You've obviously never been under the old Malfoy charm," he replied smoothly.  
  
Ginny broke into a smile. "The Malfoy charm? Oh yes, that's right. Well, I don't suppose you've been using it on me these past few months."  
  
"No, of course not. If I did, you would be smiling lovingly at me."  
  
Ginny glared coldly. Her arms were crossed as she looked at Draco condescendingly.  
  
"Weasley, you're not very good at hiding your thoughts."  
  
"Of course not. Unlike you, I'm not a blonde iceberg who refuses to melt."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to be an insult?"  
  
"Oh…now you're insulting my insults. Is that it? I'm not mean enough for you?" Ginny shot back.  
  
"Oh, no Weasley dear. You're perfect, like a ceramic angel crafted by the greatest of sculptors," Draco replied.. "You're like a perfectly shaped cloud on a beautiful summer day. You're like a lovely, unique orchid holding its own beauty against a boring bouquet of roses. You're like a reliable quill that never falls apart during an exam. You're like-"  
  
"Okay, Malfoy. Stop," Ginny interrupted, laughing. "I didn't know I was so…desirable."  
  
"You? Desirable? Did I say anything about you being desirable?"  
  
Ginny shot him a frustrated glare, a smile still playing on her lips.  
  
************  
  
"Here, drink this dear," Madame Pomfrey filled a vial with the bubbling liquid from the cauldron. Ron stared at the repulsive potion, suddenly doubtful of Madame Pomfrey's credibility. He knew she had been the Hogwart's school nurse for years (possibly decades), yet her newest concoction seemed questionable.  
  
"Drink it, Weasley," Draco snapped suddenly, his head poking out from behind Ginny's room. Yvette, Madame Pomfrey, and Ron turned their attention to him in surprise.  
  
"What?" he asked, the annoyance apparent in his voice. "Drink it already."  
  
Ron looked at the vial with greater suspicion.  
  
"Malfoy's right. Do you want to stay a hairy frog forever?" Yvette pointed out.  
  
Grumbling, Ron snatched the vial from Madame Pomfrey's hand. A nauseating aroma of spoiled milk and rotting leaves emitted from the opening. Squeezing his eyes shut, Ron swallowed the contents of the glass. Immediately, he doubled over clutching his stomach. He twisted and jerked violently as if there was a troll pounding on his stomach walls.  
  
"Ms. Delacour!" Madame Pomfrey commanded. "Help me restrain him."  
  
They pinned Ron's arms and legs down and bound them to the bedposts. He writhed and roared in pain as his body slowly transformed to its former self.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Draco turned his attention back to Ginny.  
  
"Who's out there?" she asked, startled.  
  
"It's your brother," Draco replied.  
  
"Ron? Ron's out there? Is he okay?"  
  
"He'll be fine. Your cabbage-headed fellow Weasel must have swallowed a botched potion. It somehow turned him into an amphibian-like mammoth."  
  
She looked at him, suspiciously. "I don't believe you."  
  
"Fine, go out there and see for yourself."  
  
Ginny got out of bed, surprised that the exhaustion had vanished. As she walked past Draco, the dizziness returned but she continued walking. She entered the main room of the infirmary and gaped at the convulsing monster on the infirmary bed.  
  
Ginny gasped in disbelief as the hideous animal turned towards her. "Ron!" she cried. All heads turned to her. Ron was in a state of shock. She ran over to him and he looked up at her in confusion.  
  
"Ginny, what are you doing here?" he muttered. Those were his last words before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Madame Pomfrey pushed Ginny aside to inspect Ron.  
  
"He's fine," she said. "Just a little tired."  
  
***********  
  
The sun shone through the windows of the hospital wing as morning approached. Ginny woke to the warm rays and stretched lazily in her chair by Ron's bed. She looked at her tranquilly sleeping brother, comfortably resting after his metamorphosis. Ginny thought back to the night before. After his dramatic slip out of consciousness Ron had had seizure-like trembles as his body continued to transmutation from its creature form. It wasn't until two in the morning that the transformation was complete.  
  
Draco, Madame Pomfrey, Yvette, and herself had to constrain him all night. In the end, it was Draco's idea to knock Ron out with a powerful sleeping drought. All had been filled with fatigue. Afterwards, they had collapsed into chairs set by Ron's bed.  
  
Ginny looked around at her sleeping companions. Beside her, in a chair against the wall, sat Draco, still sound asleep. Madame Pomfrey's glasses had slid down her nose and her neatly pinned curls had come undone. Her head was supported by one hand resting on the arm of her chair. Yvette looked stunning as always, her flawless face angelically framed with wavy blonde curls. Ginny sighed with envy. It was all part of the veela charm. Every strand of Yvette's soft hair fell in the right place, like the goddesses from Renaissance paintings in muggle museums. Her head rested gently on Madame Pomfrey's shoulder.  
  
Draco slept with his arms crossed; his head titled back resting against the wall. "Malfoy always had to rebel, didn't he?" Ginny thought with a smile. Everyone else softened in their sleep. The lines on Madame Pomfrey's face smoothed gently, making her appear younger and Yvette glowed with innocent serenity.  
  
Draco somehow managed to maintain his icy guise. She giggled to herself. Ginny could see in his sleeping face the reason that so many girls (not just Slytherins) fawned over him. When awake, Draco never failed to infuriate or confuse her. She had always known subconsciously that he was attractive, but never allowed herself to admit it. Ginny cocked her head to the side and surveyed Draco's sleeping figure. He was handsome in a classical way, with well-formed shoulders and a strong chin. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing well-muscled forearms and his blonde hair rivaled Yvette's platinum locks. Unlike Yvette however, Draco was far more…masculine. Ginny smiled to herself again.  
  
"Weasley," Draco said abruptly, his eyes not yet open. "I know I'm good to look at but taking advantage of me while I sleep." He opened his eyes and stretched lazily. "You should be ashamed of yourself."  
  
Ginny admired his cat-like grace and smiled to herself again. Draco looked around at the sleeping forms. "Not fair," she thought sullenly. "He looks like he woke hours ago."  
  
"Everyone else seems unconcerned with breakfast," Draco said, getting to his feet. "We might as well go to the kitchen to get some. They don't need to be disturbed."  
  
Ginny nodded and got shakily to her feet. She proceeded to the door, leaving Draco behind staring after her in faint surprise. She turned back at him and gave a dazzling smile. "Aren't you coming?"  
  
  
  
***********  
  
Draco stared down Ginny's hourglass figure as he walked behind her. He smiled as she walked right pass the entrance. "Weasley, lost again?"  
  
She whirled around and stared at the open doorway. "Nonsense, this is the first time today," she replied.  
  
"Ladies first," he said mockingly, motioning for her to enter. Ginny glanced at him briefly before haughtily stalking past the statue into the kitchen. Draco chuckled and followed her in. The house elf closest to the door olged at Draco.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy!" he cried in shock. "I never thought I'd see you again." Draco looked down at the house elf.  
  
"Do I know you?" he asked slowly.  
  
"It's Doby sir," the house elf answered chirpily.  
  
Ginny interceded quickly. "Do you think we could have some breakfast?"  
  
Immediately the elves scrambled about the kitchen and appeared with steaming plates of food. They set it down by the fireplace and pulled up two chairs. Ginny blinked. Draco could tell she had never been down here before. He sat down elegantly and began to eat. Hesitantly, Ginny followed suit. They ate in silence. Draco glanced at her as she slowly savored each morsel. He laughed quietly to himself, snapping back to reality when he realized she had spoken.  
  
"Well…what are we going to do about the project?" she queried.  
  
"Oh, of course, the project."  
  
*******  
  
"Oh no, the project," Hermione thought aloud, immediately scanning the table for Yvette. She noticed Ginny, Ron, Yvette, and Malfoy were all absent from the Great Hall. As Harry sat down beside her, she whispered, "Have you seen Ron lately?"  
  
"No," Harry answered, thoughtfully. "Not since yesterday morning."  
  
"Hey Harry, did you hear about the Cannons?" Dean shouted across the table.  
  
"Do you think we should stop by the infirmary?" Hermione asked, tuggin at Harry's sleeve to recover his attention.  
  
" Sure, why not" Harry said unconcernedly as he continued to argue with Dean over the merits of the Cannon tactics.  
  
Hermoine rolled her eyes and forcefully dragged Harry out the door, towards the hospital wing.  
  
*******  
  
  
  
Yvette woke, dazedly looking around, squinting her eyes against the blinding sunlight. She could hear Madame Pomfrey bustling about indistinctly in the background. She yawned luxuriously, then winced as her stomach grumbled noisily.  
  
Yvette looked down at the peacefully sleeping Ron. His touseled, flame- colored hair and looked almost blonde in the suns rays. Even with his mouth open he managed to look absolutely adorable. He groaned and flung his arm over his eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "I don't wanna."  
  
Yvette chuckled and sang out, "Time to wake up, sleepy head!" Ron slowly turned his head and regarded her with tired puppy dog eyes.  
  
He blinked rapidly. "Yvette!" he said, looking around in confusion. "What happened?" He looked down at his hands, now back to normal.  
  
"You trashed around for half the night and we had to stay to help Madame Pompfrey hold you down." Yvette replied calmly.  
  
"We?!? Whose we?"  
  
"Ginny, Mme Pomfrey, me and of course Draco Malfoy"  
  
"Malfoy!!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"He was very helpful" Yvette continued.  
  
Ron laid his had back against the pillow.  
  
"Why were Ginny and Malfoy even here?"  
  
"Ginny had another fainting spell and Malfoy brought her in."  
  
"Isn't it suspicious that these spells always involve Malfoy?"  
  
Yvette glared down at Ron. "If you're trying to imply something you might as well go on and say it out loud."  
  
Ron looked at her in vague surprise. "Are you supporting him?"  
  
"No, of course not, but I think you're making a serious accusation without any evidence," she snapped back.  
  
"He's a Malfoy! His family's been involved in Dark Arts for years and they've attacked and killed muggle-tolerants numerous times. Malfoy, himself, has threatened Gryffindors on immeasurable occasions. What other evidence do you need?"  
  
" It is a big leap from sharp comments to assault. Besides you are blaming his family's misdeeds on him!"  
  
Ron looked down mutinously.  
  
Yvette growled under her breath. "Never mind! Lets go have some breakfast."  
  
***********************  
  
  
  
Draco lounged in an armchair by the common room entrance, conversing with Sean Colbalt, the quidditch team captain. He sensed a veela's presence behind him, but stubbornly refused to glance at the figure by the door. He knew it was Yvette and he wasn't about to speak to her here. It wasn't until he saw her walk down the stairs into the dorms did he finally break off his conversation with Sean and excuse himself.  
  
He started down the stairs after the disappearing figure. She proceeded to enter his room. Draco followed her in and locked the door.  
  
******  
  
Yvette slipped in to the Slytherin common room and quickly spotted Draco sitting in a chair by the crackling fireplace. She stood by the door, unwilling to move, not wishing to be noticed by the Slytherins. She remained still a few moments longer waiting for Draco to acknowledge her. He either didn't see her or was ignoring her maliciously. Yvette opted for the latter.  
  
Sighing in frustration, she crept along the walls to the top of the staircase leading down into the cold dungeons. She turned to Draco as she heard the door click shut behind her.  
  
" You have some explaining to do, cousin"  
  
**********************  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
Ohhh another cliffhanger I'm getting good!!!…=)..So what do you think..it might take a while to get the next chapter out cause it needs a lot of revision!…=)…so review!! Hey guess what? I started correcting this fic at 4:30 its now 4;50….ohh noo…umm that probably means I didn't work to hard huh…ohh well if this chapter is a lot worse than the ones before it tell me..=)  
  
Thanks to all the reviewers! PS please specify when you want to be e-mailed about the next chapter and included your e-mail address in the review. Also tell us if you saw the fic on schnoogle or fanfiction.net  
  
animequeen36- We like anime too!   
  
Mask of Twilight  
  
arcee  
  
Nayanya Potter- I really like your fics..it's an honor for you to have reviewed us  
  
S.Maldiva- Yvette has a very complicated family tree…Sellene and I don't even agree on it..but some how she is both fleurs and Dracos cousin but Draco and Fleur are not cousins…I think that Yvette and Fleur aren't cousins but Sellene…. OKAY. THIS IS SELLENE HERE TYPING IN CAPS. YVETTE AND FLEUR ARE COUSINS. YVETT'S MOTHER IS A DELACOUR, WHILE HER FATHER IS…WELL YOU'LL SEE IN THE FUTURE.  
  
Nice  
  
wildmajik  
  
Mary ()  
  
Grizziestar- hmmmm cause her family wants to break it to her slowly?  
  
Double Trouble- sorry we made Draco a little softer this chapter…but we say its cause he's trying to charm Ginny.  
  
Verena Gruen  
  
kit-kat  
  
Trephinia Cealyn  
  
witchy_grrl  
  
LilyAyl  
  
Mary  
  
Katie  
  
Miki-chan—hehehe…umm I don't know what to say…go SKAMMM!  
  
Mary  
  
jilly anne  
  
BlackBandit  
  
Lily Shouk- curse…=)  
  
Atyana  
  
Miss  
  
Me  
  
Dorthey Star  
  
mereschino  
  
Amyza 


	6. In Which Draco and Ginny Supervise Deten...

Guess who updated? No, really. Guess. 

WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, it took us so long, but this chapter needed some serious revisions. The plot really begins to unravel though. Enjoy.

PS. Thank you sooooooooooo much for all the reviews. We can't express how much we appreciated them. 

~ Sellene

**** __

Last Chapter

"You have some explaining to do, cousin." 

CHAPTER 6 - In Which Draco and Ginny Supervise Detention

****

**********

Draco stared back at Yvette stonily. This proud girl who stood with confidence and grace was the product of a drunken fling between a half veela and a Deatheater. 

Yvette met his eyes with an even stare. As usual, both wore passive miens but below the masks lay calculating minds. 

"What do you want, Delacour?" Draco replied, finally.

Yvette smiled and sauntered to one of two leather armchairs set by the lifeless dormitory fireplace. "Aren't you going to invite me to sit?" she questioned with a wink. 

"Sit if you want," he said coldly. "It's not as if I'm going to stop you."

Yvette must have taken this as a merry consent for she plopped down in one of the chairs and grinned impishly at him. He sat in the chair opposite of her and folded his arms expectantly. 

"Well?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Well what?" Draco retorted, his voice saturated with irritation. "Do you expect me to offer you tea?"

Yvette opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was a weary sigh. "Draco, I'm not here to play games." Her eyes hadn't left his since the beginning of the conversation, but she now tore them away from his unmoving gaze. 

"Who's playing?" he drawled lazily. 

Yvette's soft, endearing eyes sharpened as they resumed their contact with Draco's grey pupils. "I'm serious. I need to talk to you."  
He raised his chin as if to examine her face for signs of deceit. Slowly, he nodded. "Alright, Yvette. What do you want to talk about?"

"Surely, you must know. My visit here is about Ginny."

"The Weasley girl? What about her?"

"Oh, come on, Draco. I'm not blind. I can see how you look at her."

"How do I look at her then?"

"Draco!" Yvette cried in exasperation. "No games, remember? Are you serious about her or just playing around?"

"Why would I tell you, even if something was going on?"

"Because!" she hissed " You owe it to me."

Draco eyes became penetrating as they bore deeper into Yvette's glistening pools of vision. Slowly, he nodded and broke into a reluctant smile. "You want to know what's happening between me and Ginny?"

"That's what I said," she replied, leaning back into the antique leather chair.

Draco nodded again. "Alright. Can you keep a secret?"

"A secret? Of course! I'm one of the best secret keepers in the-"

"Fine, fine," he cut her off. " Just promise to tell no one of this. It's a family thing."

"Between us cousins?" Yvette asked sarcastically.

"You could say that."

"Yes, I promise to tell no one"

"Good, because like it or not, half of your blood flows from the prestigious Malfoy family tree."

"So.."

"There is an ancient curse concerning us Malfoy's and the Weasley's." 

"Yes?"

"Have you ever wondered why Ginny doesn't have any sisters, aunts or female cousins?"

"No, actually."

"Have you ever wondered why you don't have any sisters, aunts…"

"Oh, but I do! Many, many aunts and-" 

"All on your mothers side, of course."

"That is true. Well, go on. What is the curse?"

"The curse itself doesn't really matter. What it comes down to is that Ginny and I must get married by my twentieth birthday."

Yvette's lips twisted in to a smile. "That is not so bad. I thought the curse was going to kill us all."

Draco winced. "Actually if Ginny and I don't marry, all the Malfoy's and Weasley's will die a slow and painful death."

"Oh. That sounds…awful."

"Yes, it does," Draco agreed.

"So all this time you have been wooing Ginny to save your own skin?"

"Mine, yours and the rest of the Malfoy bloodline."

"And the Weasley's."

"I guess so."

"Why you? Why Ginny? Why not Ron and I?"

"The curse calls for a Malfoy male to marry a Weasley female. For hundreds of years the curse was avoided because our ancestor created a counter-spell. The counter-spell caused both families to have only sons. For one reason or another Ginny was born and here I am, stuck with her."

"Stuck with her?" Yvette raised an eyebrow. "What I want to know is if you're just stuck with her or if there's something more."

A long silence ensued.

"Well?" she questioned.

"I don't know," he answered finally.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't know what's going on between us," he repeated, annoyed.

She stared blankly at him with wide eyes, processing the information. Understanding dawned on her and she burst into laughter.

"I never thought I'd hear those words pass through your lips," she said, still giggling. 

"Be quiet," he snapped. "Everyone will hear you."

"I'm sure the sound of a girl's laughter from your dorm room will only enhance your reputation."

Draco smirked. "I don't think my reputation needs any help from you."

Yvette smiled back as she walked to the door. "I think your reputation needs as much help as it can get."

Draco opened his mouth to reply as the door closed silently. He closed his mouth and the corners turned upwards for a short moment. 

  
***************

  


"Wow, Yvette this is-," Hermione scanned the yard long scroll Yvette had handed her. "Wow, this is great. How did you find the time?" 

Yvette smiled with pleasure. "Oh, I managed," she replied. "Though I still don't quite understand why we had to do a report on the Dark Arts. We're just a group of detention overseers."

Hermione paused thoughtfully. " Well… maybe the professors want to expand our knowledge?"

Yvette nodded and flopped back in to the comfortable common room chairs. 

"Hermione, what do you think of Ron?" 

"Hmmm?" Hermione said, lifting her head from her inspection of Yvette's report. 

"Well…I mean," Yvette stuttered out. "Do you like him?"

Hermione spluttered. "Like Ron? Romantically?"

Yvette nodded sheepishly. 

"No, of course not, I going out with _HARRY_," Hermoine replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I know that," Yvette cried "It's just…I mean would you be jealous…would it be okay with you if Ron and I became a couple?"

"What?" Hermione said looking dazed.

Yvette stared back worriedly.

Hermione smiled. "Of course not. He's my FRIEND."

"So was Harry," Yvette pointed out

"That's true," she replied slowly. "But that was different. I always knew, in the back of my mind, Harry could become something more than a friend. Ron's different. I don't know how. But…it was _different_."

Yvette grinned happily. "I understand."   


****************

The next few weeks passed without incident. Assignments piled high as the school year neared midterm finals. Hermione began her annual rampage of studying. Nevertheless, she and Harry continued to ride along smoothly in the road of their relationship. Yvette seemed to forget about Dean, devoting much of her attention to Ron instead. Ginny kept her end of the promise, giving Draco a chance at earning her friendship. They spent a great deal of time together working as partners in the detention committee. Slowly, she began to see past his unkind exterior, getting a glimpse beyond the icy barriers. So life at Hogwarts, School of Wizardry, rolled on without a hitch as Christmas came around the corner.

************

The Great Hall clamored with the clatter of plates mingling with the incessant conversation. It was six days prior to Christmas and the winter holiday decorations were set up. Snow dusted pinecones and wreaths were visible everywhere. Mistletoe and lavish displays of the season's colors adorned the Hogwarts castle. The older students were busy discussing the upcoming Winter Ball. 

At the Slytherin table, Pansy sat by Draco obviously desperate for his attention. She pushed her body against his in a despairing attempt of seduction. Pansy nearly dropped her prurient exterior when she noticed Draco starring off. Again!!! Usually he seemed interested or at the least acknowledged her presence. Tonight, like almost every night this year, he stared blankly in to space. 

Not truly blankly, Pansy conceded. His focus was always on the Gryffindor table. At first she believed it was the usual bitterness he held for Harry Potter, but somehow this was different. 

Pansy sniffed and turned away angrily. What was she supposed to do for the winter dance? Draco had not asked her and the ball was six days away. She focused her angry glare at Potter and his annoying friends sitting at the Gryffindor table. They would pay.   


****

Meanwhile at the Gryffindor table, Ginny and Yvette chattered cheerfully over their breakfast.

"I hear Ron's asked you to the dance," Ginny said.

"Yep," Yvette replied enthusiastically. "He used to be a rather dangly thing, but he's grown. His shoulders are so sturdy and he's so tall and I just love his eyes and freckles… they make him so adorable."

Ginny nodded her head slightly, her eyebrow raised. "Yvette, you do remember he's my brother, right? I don't really want to hear how handsome he is."

"Sorry." Yvette apologized sheepishly. "So Ginny, who do you want to go with?" she asked cautiously. 

"Oh, I don't know," Ginny responded airily. "Did you know? Claire and Ben Moory … you know the cute 7th year, are going together."

"Really? I never thought of them as a couple. Margaret said yes to Simon and hmm… and Harry and Hermione are going together of course." she continued as the pair walked by. 

"Yes I know," Ginny replied, only a trifle sullen.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot…" Yvette trailed off

Ginny shook her head. "It's alright. I'm over him but…My feelings towards Harry were just based on what I heard of him. I never got to really know him. I only liked him for his glamour …not like Hermione."

"You sound like your trying to convince yourself."

"Look Yvette. There are so many attractive guys at this school. Do you really think that I'm stupid enough to sit by and pine away over Harry?"

"I supposed you're right. It's about time, Ginny. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," she replied slowly. "It's too bad I was that stupid," she added silently to her self.

"So who do you want to ask to the ball?"

"Well… Colin Creevey asked me."

"And you did not tell me?!" Yvette gushed excitedly. By some miracle, the skinny and awkward amateur photographer had transformed into a lanky and silky-voiced young man who graced the dreams of Hogwart's female population. 

"I turned him down."

"Turned him down? Why?"

"I know. I can't believe any boy even noticed me next to you," Ginny said with more than a trace of envy. "Not to mention Colin."

"Oh, Ginny. I am part veela. My blood makes me…what is the word… entice. But you, boys like you because of your outer and _inner_ beauty. They only see me as a pretty face."

"That's not true. Ron likes you for your personality."

"He knows me. Most of those other do not. Anyway, why did you turn down Colin?"

"I don't know…Well, you see…Draco Malfoy asked me to give him a month," Ginny blurted out.

"A month? For what?"

"To fall in love with him." 

"I see," Yvette said amused. "Well, have you?"

"Yvette!!" Ginny cried. "Well… he's not as bad as I thought," she admitted. "Anyhow, I promised him a month and a deal's a deal."

Yvette smiled knowingly. "But does that mean you're going to the dance together? What does Ron have to say; he hates Draco Malfoy."

"I know, but I think Ron is the least of my problems." Ginny leaned forward and lowered her voice. "You know, my entire family, with the exception of Ron seem to want Malfoy and I to be together. Even Dumbledore seems to be pushing us at each other."

"Really…"

"And you know what else?" Ginny leaned forward. " Maybe it's my imagination, but Malfoy and I have had to spend a lot of time together because of the detention committee."

"I've noticed," Yvette interceded dryly

"And whenever I'm angry with him I tend to get tired, dizzy, and feel like fainting."

Yvette inhaled sharply. "Are you sure Ginny? Have you told anyone?"

"No. Like I said, it could be my imagination."

"Let's hope so," Yvette said quietly

"Speaking of Draco," Ginny whispered urgently. "Don't look now but guess who's coming."

"Good morning, Yvette," Draco's voice greeted them. Yvette smiled in response. He nodded at Ginny. "Weasley."

She nodded back pertly. "Malfoy"

"We have detention duty today. I just received an owl about it," he informed her, the parchment still in his hands.

"How come I didn't get one?" she questioned, feeling mildly insulted.

"They probably only sent it to one partner in each group," he said, tossing her the scroll.

"If you say so…" Ginny trailed off as she unrolled and read the message.

"I have to go now," Draco told her. "Meet me on the West lawn at ten to four. Bye, Yvette."

"Bye, Draco," Yvette answered, winking.

He and Ginny exchanged a long glance. Finally Draco nodded curtly and walked away.   


****************  
  


The sun drooped towards the horizon, dimming the winter sky with its wilting effort. Six detention students gathered by the west shore of the lake. Ginny consulted the scroll Draco had handed her. 

"Well, they're all here," she announced to no one in particular. "That Hufflepuff girl and those two Gryfindors are first years. They were caught wandering in the halls after hours. That second year Slytherin sitting by himself poured salt in Flitwick's tea and those two Ravenclaw boys turned two Slytherins into mice. Let's see…" Ginny scrutinized the list. "That's it. Let's take roll. Anne Callaway?" she called.

"Present," the Hufflepuff girl squeaked.

Ginny smiled at her and looked back to the list. "Roman Lawson?" she called. No one answered. After a long pause, she examined each face trying to see which student fit the name. She heard low chuckle behind her; she spun and glared at Draco. He was immaculate, as always, leaning against a tree. 

Ginny sighed. "Since Roman decided to skip detention he will be given double time. He'll spend the extra hour cleaning the storage room and his name will be sent to the Headmaster," she declared, hoping she actually held the authority to carry out the threats.

The Hufflepuff girl raised her hand. 

"Yes, Anne?" 

"Roman is right there ma'am," she pointed out the Slytherin boy with a quavering voice.

Ginny stared him, expecting a reaction of some sort. "Since Roman cannot speak for himself the punishment stills stands."

Roman said nothing but glared haughtily at her. Finally to Ginny's relief, Draco called out, "Roman Lawson?"

"Present," drawled the second year Slytherin.

Draco glanced back to the parchment and swiftly finished calling the names on the list. Ginny silently thanked Dumbledore for paring her with a Slytherin, even if it was Malfoy. 

She stood beside him as the group of dentionees grumbled among themselves. Her eyes scanned the remainder of the scroll. Professor Sprouts jagged handwriting explained the spells they were to use on the lake. Apparently the lawn gnomes learned to swim and consumed all the food in the water intended for the lakes' creatures, tipping the ecosystem. 

One of the spells would cause a gnome to fly out of the lake while another spell would annul any damage the gnomes had caused. A third would feed the lake's wildlife.

"Done reading yet?" Draco's voice rang out in here ear. He stood behind her, close enough to breathe down her neck. For some reason Ginny didn't mind their proximity. She inhaled the subtle scent of his aftershave; he smelled like wintergrass, lemon, and…mint. For a split second, she closed her eyes and indulged in the alluring aroma. Then, she spun around and faced him.

"Of course I'm done. I was waiting for you to finish."

"Right Weasley.." he smirked. They spent a moment looking at each other silently.

"Ms. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…," a Gryffindor girl sang out. 

Ginny shot her a deadly sharp glare. The girl only grinned at her expectantly.

"Okay everyone. Repeat after me," Ginny ordered imperiously. "_Vescor_!"

"_Vescor_," they obeyed in a dull chorus.

"This will feed the fish and other lake creatures," she explained. "Now, on to the next spell. _Ameveo_."

"_Ameveo_," they repeated.

"This will cause gnomes to fly out of the lake. You'll have to have your wand within two feet of the gnome you're pointing at."

"But the gnomes are _in_ the lake," one of the Hufflepuff girl pointed. "How are we supposed to get to them?"

"Let me finish. I'll explain that part after you learn the third spell. It's _abstergo._"

Once again, they repeated after her in an unenthusiastic chorus. "_Abstergo."_

"This spell will tidy up any mess the gnomes left behind. Now, you'll need to get into groups of two." Ginny commanded

Draco smiled amused as the two Gryffindor girls partnered up, as did the Ravenclaw pair. The Hufflepuff girl and the Slytherin boy stood alone, both looking mildly dismayed.

"Anne, go with Roman," he ordered. All the students turned to him in surprise. He had put Hufflepuff with a Slytherin. It was like dumping a gopher into a pit with a starved snake.

Anne looked warily at the Slytherin boy. She had heard he once transfigured some poor girl in to lizard. She gulped and looked to Ginny for help. Not only did the boy have a cruel look about him, but he was a year older as well.

"Anne, go on," Ginny said gently. She shot a menacing glare at Roman as if to say, "Do anything to her and I'll jab holes through your liver with my wand." He simply smirked at her.

"Now in your groups, you'll take turns using _Wingardium Leviosa_ on one another in order to get within two feet of a gnome to cast the spells. Any questions?"

She received no response. "Well then, get to work." 

As the students trudged dishearteningly towards the lake banks, Ginny turned to Draco. 

"Malfoy, why did you do that to the poor girl?" she commented angrily. 

"No reason." He shrugged. 

"No reason?" Ginny nearly shrieked with infuriation. The impending argument met a tangent as a large splash was resounded throughout the clearing, followed by the cackling sound of Roman's laughter.

The Slytherin boy rolled on the ground guffawing raucously at the girl floundering in the middle of the lake.

Draco sighed, lifting his left hand to rub his forehead. "Give me your wand, Weasley."

Ginny whirled around to face him again. She looked suspiciously at his outstretched hand. "Don't you have your own?"

"No, I left them in my quidditch robes."

She reluctantly placed the hand-me-down wand from Percy into his hand. Draco grasped the wand with concentration. He pointed it at Anne. "_Wingardium Leviosa."_

His recitation of the spell was answered with a small crack that echoed in the small clearing. The Hufflepuff girl was levitated momentarily before she fell back into the lake. 

Ginny's jaw dropped as Draco sheepishly handed her back a portion of the cedarwood wand. She eyed the slender piece of wood in shock. "The unicorn hair is poking out," she pointed out dryly. 

Draco pulled out the remainder of the wand from behind his back. The second half was charred and every so often, sparks flew out of the broken end. Ginny slowly took the other portion from him. She stood rigid, clutching a piece of a piece of wand in each hand.

"My wand?" she asked, her voice parlously soft. No one dared answer her. 

"I-I'm sorry, Weasley," Draco said. "I don't think your wand is compatible with me."

"Of course not," she snapped. "It's a Weasley wand! Even our wands hate you!"

The gathering of detention students had become dead silent. Not a single being risked Ginny's wrath as she fumed with anger and shock. The uncomfortable state continued for a few seconds more before a yelp and loud splashing interrupted it. 

"Help!" Anne screamed, still flailing helplessly in the middle of the lake. 

Roman continued to snicker, causing Ginny to narrow her eyes. The Slytherin grinned at her and jumped into the water. He swam lazily to the drowning girl and pulled her towards the grassy shore. They were both wet and she was choking for air by the time they arrived on dry land. 

Anne wasn't sure if she should thank him or treat him with her evilest glare. Ginny stepped forward to intervene, but Draco restrained her. 

"Just leave it alone, Weasley," he said in a hushed tone. 

"Alright, everyone. Back to work!" Ginny ordered. She appeared to have forgiven Draco for the wand incident or at least forgotten about it as she stood calmly beside him, observing Anne and Roman from a distance. 

The two wet adversaries didn't move as the others bustled back to repairing the gnome damages. 

Anne was drenched with icy lake water. A few twigs, leaves, along with bits of algae were entangled in her wavy brown hair. "Thanks," she spat coldly to Roman and turned away, her deep blue eyes tainted with harshness. 

"That's not a very nice way to show gratitude," Roman pointed out. "After all, I did save your life."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer." Anne's tone was that of a gentle girl forced to speak harshly. She stood her ground bravely as the older and bigger Slytherin towered over her. She dripped pitifully and shivered from the light breezes that chilled her drenched body. 

Slowly, Roman began to laugh; not the usual Slytherin snigger, but true innocent, juvenile laughter. Anne was dumbfounded for a moment. Then her eyes began to well up with tears. Roman tried unsuccessfully to quell his laughter as her lower lip began to tremble.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to gasp out. "Here. _Driege_." Her robes returned to their former crisp and dry state. 

"Thanks," she said again, this time with a sniffle and a smile. "You should dry yourself off too."

"Nah…It's fine. I'm going to let you lift me this time. Try to not drop me in," he winked.

"I won't…" The Hufflepuff girl said as she raised her wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

Ginny looked up at Draco and smiled. "He seems…respectable," she admitted.

Draco shrugged and glanced over at the smiling students. "Weasley, I'll replace your wand tomorrow morning," he said abruptly. 

"What?" she turned to him, startled.

Draco met her eyes. "Just meet me outside of the Great Hall doors tomorrow after breakfast, alright?"

"Okay," Ginny agreed amicably.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
**************  


__

December 19

Dear Mr. Malfoy,   


It has come to my attention that your son has been associating with Gryffindors, including friends of Harry Potter. I fear his camaraderie with them will lead to serious consequences. I would never want to question Draco's loyalty to the Dark Lord so I can only hope that you will stop this idiocy before it can ever come to that.   


Sincerely,

Pansy Parkinson   
  
  


Pansy perused the note with thin lips, deeming it fit to send to Draco's father. She was concerned with Draco spending so much time with the Weasley girl and finally decided the constant interaction had to stop.   


***********

****

Yvette pulled aside the thick curtains that were drawn over her dormitory window. She peeked out at the sky, tilting her gaze to the moon. It was covered by a thin veil of fog, the haze adding to the eerie illuminance of the night sky. She slipped out of bed, fully clothed and crept down the stairs. She paced softly across the empty common room and snuck out the portrait, just in time to see a patch of orange hair disappear around the corner. ****

Yvette smiled and followed the shadowy figure through the dim halls, her stocking feet padding softly after him. She followed him until he opened the door to an unlocked classroom. She waited until the door shut before she turned the knob herself. 

She shut the door as gently behind her. "Now, Ron. What do you have to be so mysterious about?" she teased. "Secret notes? Midnight meetings? Reading too many romance novels, are we?" 

She walked forward to Ron with a mysterious grin on her face. He too, broke into a grin, his face half-hidden by the shadowy room. The act seemed fake, the smile plastered on like a circus clown's painted lips. Yvette cowered away and gasped in horror as robed figures stepped out of the murky corners of the room. They glided towards her, hoods concealing their faces. She knew who they were; her own father carried their mark. 

"Ron!" she yelled urgently. "Help!" 

"What? And ruin our little family reunion?" drawled a mocking voice from Ron's mouth. Yvette gaped at Ron in confusion. The confusion was soon replaced with fear as the flame colored hair faded into an icy blonde, Ron's handsome face into that of Lucius Malfoy's.

"Haven't you missed me, little niece?" he continued, the infamous Malfoy smirk playing across his face. 

***************

End of Chapter 6

Okay, so there wasn't that much D/G action. But we promise plenty of it next chapter. There'll be romance in Hogwarts. There's plenty of Yvette in this chapter, as she becomes a key character. We didn't really plan it this way, but it's how it happened. 

BTW, this is Yvette's family tree. Her mother is the daughter of a half-veela man (Mr. Delacour) and his wife. Yvette's father is Lucius's half-brother. 

Ginny is fainting a lot NOT because she's a damsel in distress, but because she's rebelling against the curse. Notice she only fainted because she wanted to be away from Draco. Draco, on the other hand, is willingly complying with the curse. 

Ron and Ginny don't know about the curse. Harry and Hermione have their little theory from the Lockhart book. 

I hope you all aren't confused. 

Thank you sooooooooooooooo much for the following people that reviewed chapter 5. 

~*Crystal Lily*~ - here it is

LilyAyl - yes, poor Ron…the red headed frog

Double Trouble - thanx for ur double review

animequeen36 - another cliff hanger…. BTW, we like anime too!

Equinebound - thanx kat

Mary - hopefully mignonne e-mailed you cuz I'm too lazy

Trephinia Caelyn - we wrote more

Mask of Twilight - Lucius is certainly up to something…

Rida d. - we're continuing…

Su - thanx. We try to get the "D/G"ness just right, but it's starting to disintegrate L 

Nice - hope you enjoyed this chapter too

Aikan - Ginny's coming around… or she will in Hogwarts…maybe, we haven't quite decided

Witchy_grrl - thanx for ur continual support

Arcee - hope mignonne e-mailed u cuz I'm too lazy

Verena Gruen - thank you so much for coming back and reading our fic. You were with us from the start.

SwedishGirl - yup, they're cousins. Hope mignonne e-mailed you.

Bellamaine Chercoeur - thank you!!!!!!!! J 

Stay tuned for chapter 7. As always, click on that review button below. You know you want to. J 

~ Sellene


	7. In Which We Begin Romance in Hogsmeade

CHAPTER SEVEN EDITED BY MIGNONNE- NEW VERSION NOW UP

Dear all our readers,

After chapter six, we frantically hurried to type and post chapter seven only to realize some of what we had was REALLY shitty. Besides, there wasn't any romance in Hogsmeade at all. We realized we didn't know HOW to write romance well, at least not the romance we wanted. So we spent a month thinking. Finally, we came up with something. Hope you like. 

BTW, the detention scene was improved. I just realized some parts made no sense whatsoever and so yeah.. it's fixed now. 

Love, Sellene

Chapter 7

In Which We Almost Begin Romance in Hogsmeade

***************

Bright, white sunlight rained down from the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall. As each day passed, the chatter of breakfast time lessened as more and more students returned home for a few days with their families. They would all return for the Yule Ball on Christmas night. Ginny pushed away her breakfast plate and slithered out from her tight squeeze between Lavender and Ron at the Gryffindor table. She couldn't believe she didn't have a date for the winter ball and it was only 5 days until the big event. Yvette was no where to be found but Ginny wasn't worried. She had probably just slept in; after all, it was winter vacation. 

After bidding her friends a quick 'see you later', Ginny exited the Great Hall in search of the breaker of her wand. She barely had time to close the massive doors behind her before Draco grabbed her arm from out of the shadows. 

"Let's go," he said, pulling her with him as he walked swiftly. Ginny practically ran to keep up with his hurried strides. 

"Well, good morning to you too," Ginny replied in a huff. "How did you manage to get passes for Hogsmeade anyway?"

"I didn't. We're sneaking out."

"Sneaking out?"

"Yes." He pulled her towards the Potion's classroom. Besides the closed entrance hung a portrait of an aristocratic man holding an angry looking Persian cat. The man and his pet stood on grass that suspiciously resembled that of the Great Lawn. The painting's frame was made of lacquer intertwined with silver, standing out yet complimenting the stone-brick walls behind it. 

"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Ginny exclaimed.

"You have to know where to look to see it," Draco explained in his usual condescending tone. "It's a glamour for Slytherins only."  
"Then why I can see it now?" she asked.

"_I_ know where to look," he replied.

"Oh. That makes A LOT of sense." Ginny rolled her eyes. 

"Good, it should." With that, Draco abruptly kicked the cat in the painting. Ginny's chocolate eyes widened as his foot struck the canvas. The white feline opened its mouth wide to snarl at them. Strangely, the mouth continued to expand until it resembled a saliva filled void lined with teeth and carpeted with tongue. 

"What the--" Before she could protest, Draco grabbed her wrist again and jumped into the painting and through the cat's mouth, taking her with him. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, dreading the wet, slimy landing on the grimy tongue. Instead, they landed smoothly on one of Hogmeade's brick-layered streets.

Hogsmeade was bustling with last minute holiday shopping. Despite starting the day by jumping into the mouth of a ferocious snarling cat, Ginny held a mirthful disposition. 

"Where's the wand shop?" she asked, her voice light and cherry. 

"Down that block, but we won't be going there for a while."

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"I need to visit the charms store," he answered.

"Why?"

"Just come with me, Weasley." He began to walk off.

"Whatever you say, Malfoy," Ginny muttered under her breath as she hurried to catch up with him. 

They traveled down the busy street, avoiding the pedestrian traffic as best as possible. Draco entered a shadowy little shop and she slipped in after him quietly. Her jaw dropped; it was obvious that this was a _dark_ charms store. At the back of the store stood an array of seven large bookcases, all of which were covered from top to bottom with large, dusty volumes. Voldemort, himself could probably learn something from the large expanse of dark arts books. Illegal artifacts lay in crystalline display cases. Objects of lesser evil sat on exposition pedestals and hung on ill-lit walls. One that caught Ginny's eye was a simple pearl perched on a satin cushion. She leaned towards it only to find it an ever-swirling sea of faerie light. 

"Hello, Draco darling," cooed an old woman sitting in a corner. Ginny nearly jumped at the elderly witch's demure voice. Brushing a strand of snowy white hair out of her face, she got to her feet, leaning her weight against a cane carved with animal designs. "It's been a while since I saw you last. My…how you've grown."

Draco gave her an embarrassed grin. "Hello Mrs. Weatherspoon," he replied. 

She was a small, proud, grandmother-ly woman with twinkling green eyes and comfortably wrinkled skin. She wore a classic, gray witch's robe with the many uneven layers and long pocket-like sleeves. The shop suited her persona so well she almost blended right into it.   
"Hi," Ginny spoke up shyly.

"And who's this?" She turned to Ginny in her red and gold robes. "A Gryffindor girlfriend? Draco, I'm shocked." Then noticing Ginny's dismayed expression, she added, "In a pleasant way."

"I'm not -" Ginny started but stopped when a voice sounded in her head.

__

"Let it go, Wealsey," it said. 

"_Malfoy?_" Ginny thought with surprise. His voice rang loud and clear in her mind, but his lips hadn't moved.  
"_Yes, it's me_," he mind-spoke.  
Ginny shifted her eyes from side to side, scanning the room furiously in search for the true source of the Malfoy-like voice. Her brow furrowed, as she found none. 

"I'm going crazy," she muttered aloud.   
"Oh, is that why you brought her here?" Mrs. Weatherspoon nodded understandingly. "Insanity issues?"

"No…I meant-" Ginny began.

"She means she's crazy with love," Draco interjected smoothly. "We both are." He paused to wrap his arms around her waist and draw her in close to him with a sickening smile. "For each other."

Ginny glared at him, while mentally yelling at the Draco-like voice inside her head. "He's exaggerating a bit," she said, pushing out of his hold.   
"_Hey, Weasley…_" There it was again, his little drawl in her head. 

"_Shut up!_" she thought angrily, trying to repress the voice to no avail.  
"_Make me_," he teased.  
Ginny glared at Draco, uncertain if he was the true ventriloquist of if she really was mad. He retorted with a mischievous wink.  
"_Why are you glaring?_" the Draco voice continued.

Ginny was about to respond when Mrs. Weatherspoon spoke up. "Well, you two have fun," she gushed. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"We're just looking," Draco replied. 

The elderly witch smiled and withdrew to a small room at the back of the store, leaving Ginny and Draco to stand there in silence. 

"_Why are you glaring?_" the voice asked again. 

Ginny stood awkwardly next to Draco, freshly out of his abrupt embrace. Was she hearing things? Was Malfoy mind-speaking to her? 

"_Weasley, it's me, Malfoy."  
_"_I don't believe you_," she thought back stubbornly.   
"Weasley, it's me, Malfoy," he said aloud. She looked up at him half in surprise. 

"Do it again," she said. 

"_Weasley, it's me, Malfoy. This is the last time_," he mind-spoke. 

Ginny stared at him wide-eyed. "What are you doing?"

"It's this thing," he explained, picking up the pearl. "It's a mindball." The object's coat turned blue upon Draco's touch. 

"Oh."

"We're now linked by it."

"Oh," Ginny said again dumbly. "Is that a good thing?"

"You can't lie when you're mind-speaking."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Do you want it or not, Weasley?" he asked. 

"I don't know! It's kind of creepy and sudden. Isn't it dark magic?"

He sighed. "Let's get out of here." He withdrew a sack of galleons and dumped them on the counter. "Mrs. Weatherspoon!" he called. "We're leaving. I left you money on the table."

"What'd you buy?" she asked from the backroom. 

"The mindball."

"Good choice. Have fun."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye, Draco. Bye, Ms. Weasley."

"Bye, Mrs. Weatherspoon."

And so Draco and Ginny left the shop into the bright winter morning. 

  
  
*************  
"Long time, no see," Lucius sneered. Yvette had been dragged to the dungeons that tunneled deep underground beneath the notorious Malfoy manor. She looked tiredly up at Lucius.

"What do you want, Uncle? Is this yet another _brilliant_ plan for resurrecting the Dark Lord?"

  
He looked disdainfully upon the girl kneeling on the stone floors, bound and soon to be broken. "You're trash, just like your mother," he said finally, hate glistening in his steely eyes.

Yvette opened her mouth, only to close it. She wouldn't waste her words on him. Her uncle bent down and scrutinized her face, his own breaking into a sinister grin. 

"As a matter of fact, yes. This is another plan to aid the Dark Lord's rise to supremacy."

Yvette raised an eyebrow. "Harry Potter won't come after me, if that's what you're after."

"The Dark Lord wants more than just the Potter boy. Can you guess who he wishes to be brought here?"

"Ginny," she answered without thinking, her voice flat and grim. 

"Very good my _dear_ niece." There was something about the way he said 'dear' that sent shivers up her spine. 

"Why her?" 

"Your muggle-loving friend opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"I already knew that."

"The Dark Lord is granting me a favor, Yvette. With you here, the Weasley girl will come to save your pitiful existence. After her will come her brother and with him, Harry Potter." 

Yvette blinked. "How convoluted."

Lucius ignored this. "I'm sure you know the Virginia Weasley and my son are bound to each other by an ageless curse. If the order of the imprecation is not followed, both she and Draco will die."

"Not to mention you and the rest of the Malfoys," Yvette added silently. 

"Along with the Dark Lord," Lucius continued. "The Weasley girl shared a piece of her spirit with him through his childhood diary. That ties him into the curse with the rest of us." 

"So killing Ginny is going to solve everything," she snapped, her voice coated with sarcasm. 

"We won't kill her." His lips broke into another sardonic grin. "At least not right away. We plan to remove her soul and set it to flames, an experience similar to the dementor's kiss. With no soul bound to Draco, the curse is temporarily postponed until another pair is born." 

Yvette didn't speak, but it didn't matter for Lucius continued. 

"My family will not be soiled and the Dark Lord shall live and conquer all." Predictably, he chuckled mirthlessly after speaking. 

"You're so full of shit, Lucius," Yvette spat with disgust. 

Without warning, he grabbed a fistful of her soft, blonde hair.

"You're very beautiful, my little niece. That has gotten you out of many tight corners, but don't think for a second it'll save you from me."

Yvette winced in pain as his violent grip. She offered him her darkest glare. "Fuck off, Lucius," she gritted out. For a moment she thought he was going to slap her. Instead he smiled toothily, the wry cruelty shinning through his pallid eyes. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said finally.

"Why? Too scared?" she countered without thinking. The sharp pain in her scalp had numbed to that from a dull knife, but resumed its intensity as Lucius pulled even harder. 

He laughed. "We both know the answer to that." He leaned closer. "Yvette, does Weasley know you have Malfoy blood in you?"

She didn't answer. She should have seen this coming. 

"Didn't think so," Lucius sneered. He released his hold on her hair.

"Wouldn't it be better to just let her marry Draco?" she blurted out, resisting the strong urge to massage her throbbing head where he assaulted her. 

"No! My bloodline will not be tainted with muggle-loving sewage!"

"Don't be so melodramatic," Yvette replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, the Weasleys may be poor, but you are the lowest scum on this earth."

Now he did strike her, causing her face to sting with pain. "Don't forget that the scum you're talking about is your own family," he hissed. 

Tears were welling up in Yvette's eyes, but they were stubbornly held back. How did she manage to roll into this mess? What did she do in her past life to deserve an uncle like Lucius? "Family?" she said, her voice strangled. "Were you my family when my father died, leaving us penniless? We came to you for help and - "

He stood up and kicked her in her stomach. She buckled over, the piercing blow of his steel toed boot stabbing her solar plexus. 

"I was generous with my offer of servitude," he retorted. Two bright red spots of anger colored his otherwise pale cheeks. 

Yvette glared up at his towering figure. "Generous?" she laughed without humor. 

"You father should have never even looked twice at the half-blood you call your mother. You're nothing more than a mere accident, Yvette. An accident. You are what destroyed your mother's life, not me." 

She tore her eyes away from his. The ground blurred through her tears as a bitter, salty drop fell to the floor. Was it only a few weeks ago that she relived the painful memory of her first visit to the Malfoy Manor after speaking to Draco? Who would know she would return to face his father…again.

"You know I'm right," Lucius chuckled balefully. He turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeons. The clang of the cell door signaled his exit, echoing emptily long after his departure. 

Yvette looked around the dim dungeons for any means of escape. A single candle was the only thing that suggested hope, but like her chance of breaking free, it too burned low. The stone tiles on the floor were old and cracked, dappled with suspicious stains on the once smoothly paved ground. The rays of the pitiful candle barely reached the corners of the cell, faintly illuminating thick cobwebs. Yvette shuddered and focused her eyes on the flame atop the melting wax. 

"Please don't come for me, Ginny," she thought. 

**********

"Damn! I lost it!" Draco cried, staring after the mindball as it rolled towards the gutters. With firebolt speed, he chased the glowing silver orb. Like the snitch, it seemed to avoid him with a vengeance. The sun was high in the December sky, its radiance glinting off the mindball's currently metallic coat. 

"Lost what?" Ginny was startled by his sudden yell and dash after the shiny round object headed for the gutters. 

"_This!_" Draco triumphantly held up the mindball, smiling at his own victory in the pursuit. 

Ginny's eyes narrowed as his voice resonated in her mind. . 

"Stop it," she said. The way his voice echoed in her head felt all too alien to be comfortable.

"_Stop what?_"

"Stop the mind dialogue. It feels strange."

"_The mindball lets us mind-speak._"

"Apparently it does, doesn't it?" Ginny answered dryly. "Stop it. This is scary. I've read an article about those things. They don't work." 

"Well, it's working, isn't it? Besides, Mrs. Weatherspoon's charms always work." Draco was indignant. 

"Is this dark magic, Malfoy?"

"Obviously, Weasley."

"You used dark magic on me?" 

"Not really. The mindball is more of a spell on its self. It doesn't affect its users." 

"Why did you want it?"

"Because you can't lie when you mindspeak," he explained. "And if we're ever in a tight situation, that would really help," he added silently. 

"Right, whatever," Ginny began. "Look, this is DARK magic, Malfoy. You may have been around it all your life with your terri- your father and all, but I don't want anything to do with it, okay?" 

Draco's eyes darkened as she mentioned his 'terrible father'. "Relax, Weasley," he said. "The ministry wouldn't allow Mrs. Weatherspoon to sell these if they were dangerous. All her charms are watered down versions of the real thing. Besides, most dark magic isn't dangerous. Not if you have control, experience and understanding."

"Which you must have a lot of," Ginny snapped irritably, unsure if her statement was sarcastic or not. 

His eyes darkened another shade, but he only smirked. "Of course."

They continued walking towards 'Olivander's'. The diagon alley shop had a twin owner and shop in Hogsmeade. 

"How do you know Mrs. Weatherspoon anyway?" Ginny asked. 

"She was a Ravenclaw in Hogwarts," Draco began. "Unfortunately for her, she fell in love with a Slytherin. He was a death eater. When he tried to back out of the deal, You-know-who killed him and widowed her. She put together a dark charms store and she's still there. My mother gives her money once in a while just to help when business is slow."

"Oh," Ginny said awkwardly. She reflected on how little she actually knew Draco and how much the past hour revealed. "She seemed nice."

"She is. When I was a kid, she'd take me to the winter flea market every year."

"What happened?" Ginny asked carefully. 

"I grew up, I guess. My father wanted more control of my life and mother's forbidden to see her anymore."

They walked in a silence for a while. 

"I'm sorry," Ginny said slowly. "My family is not great either. We're literally without a galleon, but there's the love, you know? Still, there are seven of us kids. Sometimes, I feel just lost in the shuffle. I'm just the youngest Weasley, another redhead. Ron's little sister."

"Too much money, too little heart is where I come from. You have it the other way around." Draco pointed out. "But would you change your family?"

"No," Ginny answered immediately. "No matter what, I still love every one of them. Would you change yours?"

"No," he lied. 

Ginny slowly moved towards Draco. Finally she lay her head on his shoulder, half expecting him to push her away. He pulled an arm around her and drew her closer to him. She smiled and snuggled into him as they continued walking.

*************

End of Chapter Seven

Chapter seven was what we had before we started coming up with new stuff. We went through writer's hell trying to come up with romance. None of it came through in this chapter. We basically just posted what we had before. The good stuff is coming next chapter. At least, we hope it will. 

My lord, you have no idea what we tried doing for Draco and Ginny. I think we spent two weeks writing this scene in which Draco and Ginny go out for ice cream. We made this nice old fashioned shoppe and everything, but then it wasn't going anywhere. So they went out to lunch instead. Ack! Both scenes will not be used. Okay, enough mindless blabbing.

Thanks for being patient with us. 

Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the reviews you gave us for chapter 6. I had literally bounced when I walked cuz I was so happy. Filled to the brim with euphoria. I smile, just thinking about it. I remember back when the fic started and we got four reviews on the first day. I was happy then. And now? *sigh* All I can saw is wow…… It's a natural high. 

Here are all the wonderful reviewers for chapter six. Thank you soooooooooo much.

Violet-Jersey - thank you, we try

Katma - I'm slightly confused about the "magical background" but thanks just the same

Witchy_grrl - you reviewed twice!!!!!!!!!!! We love you!!!!!!! One of our readers from the start.

~*Scorpio*~ - yeah…R/H don't really kick it with me so….yeah. Too bad. 

Rita d. - we did.

Resmiranda - keepin' you hanging….we wrote more though

Frances R. - thanks. Glad you like it. As to why people didn't push them together before? We're not quite sure. This way it just fits the Harry Potter timeline. We love it when our readers think.   
  
Mary - yes yes ….thank you

Nice - your review confused poor sellene, but thank you. Are you saying our story isn't insightful? 

Chocagirl123 - hey are you reviewing us on schnoogle too? Thank you for your support. We love you. 

~*Crystal Lily*~ - umm…we'll find out later.

LilyAyl - hope mignonne e-mailed you cuz I'm too lazy. Glad you liked it. 

Blinkinpark182 - yeah, fleur's not in the story so….

Glitterglue - we're trying! But there's school and stuff. My grades are in danger here. 

Priya-chan - glad you liked the detention scene. We improved it a bit. Please go back and read it.

Kayla - yvette left the dorm room in search of ron. They had a midnight meeting scheduled

Puddles - your review is nice and long. It made me very happy. Thank you so much.

Luckieme07- we wrote more. Glad you liked it

Bella - thanx for your support.

Verena Gruen - ah, its another one of our faithful readers who's been with us since well…forever. We love you. Thanx for your eternal support. 

Rodandra may - thanx, we try

Daft Bugger - hehe, a little scary there. Don't worry, we wrote more. 

Krisa - yup, it's developing. You were our first reviewer for chapter six. Enjoy the honor. 

Once again, thank you all. We'll write a poem for you someday. 

Love,

Sellene

PS: We love you now, but we'd love you more if you submitted a review. Please do. ^_~


	8. ALTERNATE SCENE FOR CHAPTER 1

THIS IS AN ALTERNATE SCENE TO ANTITHETICAL. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CHAPTER ONE BUT IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE. ANYWAY, ENJOY! =) ~ Sellene

CHAPTER ONE

Draco Malfoy wove in and out of the compartments and corridors of the Hogwarts Express, fleeing from Pansy Parkinson's desperate efforts of flirtation. He heard her familiar footsteps turning the corner. Not knowing where else to go, he opened the nearest compartment and stepped inside. His timing couldn't have been better for as soon as he closed and bolted the door, he heard Pansy walking by calling," Draco...where are you? I've got a surprise for you…"

"Aren't you a least bit curious to find your surprise?" another voice asked. The melodious voice came from inside the compartment. Draco turned away from the door and saw the youngest Weasley sitting alone in a corner. 

"What are _you _doing here?" he snapped. "Shouldn't you be chasing after Potter?"

"Excuse me! What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my compartment? What are you doing here _Malfoy_?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, before he could stop her. 

"Could you talk any louder?" he hissed. 

"What? Scared of a girl? Afraid your little girlfriend will find you?" she replied, in an even louder voice.

"At least I'm being chased after, unlike you Weasley."

"Only the lowest would go for you Malfoy. You can have as much scum crawling after you as you want."

Before Draco could reply, they heard insistent rapping on the door. Draco frantically looked for a hiding spot: there was none. The door started to open and he dived for the spot behind Ginny. Unfortunately, she misinterpreted his action and shifted to the side, right in his path. 

"Hi Gin! We brought your chocolate fro-" Ron paused in midsentence, his mouth hanging open in horror. The various candies in Harry and Hermione's hands dropped to the ground. Ginny let out a high-pitched nervous giggle. 

"Hi Ron. Er… this isn't what you think it is," she tried to explain.

"Ginny! How could you!" Hermione squeaked. "We're only gone ten minutes and…and here we find Malfoy on top of you."

Draco suavely stood up, smoothing out his rumpled robes. Ginny stood up as well, turning away from the three figures in the door. Her face was beet red.

"Honestly, I have no idea what perverted thoughts are running through your heads. Like I would even touch a Weasley. I wouldn't want to dirty my hands with something so…low-class. It might contaminate me," Draco said. That was a perfect exit line, but for a certain reason he didn't want to go back out into the unsafe corridors of the train. After all, this compartment was definitely a Pansy-free zone. 

"Ron, how could you think that of me!" Ginny exclaimed. "He's a Malfoy. I'm a Weasley. Need I continue?"

"That still doesn't explain you two groping each other," Harry pointed out. 

"We had a little accident, that's all," she replied in a no-nonsense tone. "Malfoy, you can leave now."

Draco scowled and started towards the door when a familiar voice was heard in the hall. 

"Draco, muffin, you know I'll find you. I have a surprise for you."

He halted.

"On second thought, I have a confession to make," he said, walking over to the door. Instead of going out however, he closed it.

"A confession?" said Ron, with a scowl on his face.

"Wea- er…Ginny and I were having a little private interlude when you walked in," he said rather loudly hoping that a certain someone that was lingering in the hallway would hear him. 

"Malfoy! What are you doing?" Ginny protested. 

Pansy followed the sound of Draco's voice to a compartment. The door was slightly ajar. She stood behind Hermione in the doorway, unnoticed by all except Draco. 

"Sorry, Ginny," he continued. "But I think it's time for us to be out in the open."

"Out in the open? What are you talking about?" she shrieked. "Ron, I have no idea what he's talking about." 

"Oh, don't play dumb, sugar. Besides, I think our relationship is healthy for you. It's high time you got over ol' Potty boy here, " he said, hinting as subtly as he could. 

Ginny look confused for a moment but understood. "I guess you're right."

She walked up to Draco and threw her arms around him. 

"I love you, Ginny," he said.

Briefly she wondered how he could say those three words so easily. Then again, he was Malfoy. 

"I love you too," she replied.

Draco Malfoy wove in and out of the compartments and corridors of the Hogwarts Express, fleeing from Pansy Parkinson's desperate efforts of flirtation. He heard her familiar footsteps turning the corner. Not knowing where else to go, he opened the nearest compartment and stepped inside. His timing couldn't have been better for as soon as he closed and bolted the door, he heard Pansy walking by calling," Draco...where are you? I've got a surprise for you…"

"Aren't you a least bit curious to find your surprise?" another voice asked. The melodious voice came from inside the compartment. Draco turned away from the door and saw the youngest Weasley sitting alone in a corner. 

"What are _you _doing here?" he snapped. "Shouldn't you be chasing after Potter?"

"Excuse me! What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my compartment? What are you doing here _Malfoy_?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, before he could stop her. 

"Could you talk any louder?" he hissed. 

"What? Scared of a girl? Afraid your little girlfriend will find you?" she replied, in an even louder voice.

"At least I'm being chased after, unlike you Weasley."

"Only the lowest would go for you Malfoy. You can have as much scum crawling after you as you want."

Before Draco could reply, they heard insistent rapping on the door. Draco frantically looked for a hiding spot: there was none. The door started to open and he dived for the spot behind Ginny. Unfortunately, she misinterpreted his action and shifted to the side, right in his path. 

"Hi Gin! We brought your chocolate fro-" Ron paused in midsentence, his mouth hanging open in horror. The various candies in Harry and Hermione's hands dropped to the ground. Ginny let out a high-pitched nervous giggle. 

"Hi Ron. Er… this isn't what you think it is," she tried to explain.

"Ginny! How could you!" Hermione squeaked. "We're only gone ten minutes and…and here we find Malfoy on top of you."

Draco suavely stood up, smoothing out his rumpled robes. Ginny stood up as well, turning away from the three figures in the door. Her face was beet red.

"Honestly, I have no idea what perverted thoughts are running through your heads. Like I would even touch a Weasley. I wouldn't want to dirty my hands with something so…low-class. It might contaminate me," Draco said. That was a perfect exit line, but for a certain reason he didn't want to go back out into the unsafe corridors of the train. After all, this compartment was definitely a Pansy-free zone. 

"Ron, how could you think that of me!" Ginny exclaimed. "He's a Malfoy. I'm a Weasley. Need I continue?"

"That still doesn't explain you two groping each other," Harry pointed out. 

"We had a little accident, that's all," she replied in a no-nonsense tone. "Malfoy, you can leave now."

Draco scowled and started towards the door when a familiar voice was heard in the hall. 

"Draco, muffin, you know I'll find you. I have a surprise for you."

He halted.

"On second thought, I have a confession to make," he said, walking over to the door. Instead of going out however, he closed it.

"A confession?" said Ron, with a scowl on his face.

"Wea- er…Ginny and I were having a little private interlude when you walked in," he said rather loudly hoping that a certain someone that was lingering in the hallway would hear him. 

"Malfoy! What are you doing?" Ginny protested. 

Pansy followed the sound of Draco's voice to a compartment. The door was slightly ajar. She stood behind Hermione in the doorway, unnoticed by all except Draco. 

"Sorry, Ginny," he continued. "But I think it's time for us to be out in the open."

"Out in the open? What are you talking about?" she shrieked. "Ron, I have no idea what he's talking about." 

"Oh, don't play dumb, sugar. Besides, I think our relationship is healthy for you. It's high time you got over ol' Potty boy here, " he said, hinting as subtly as he could. 

Ginny look confused for a moment but understood. "I guess you're right."

She walked up to Draco and threw her arms around him. 

"I love you, Ginny," he said.

Briefly she wondered how he could say those three words so easily. Then again, he was Malfoy. 

"I love you too," she replied.


	9. In Which There Is More Romance In Hogsme...

Dear wonderful readers,

We apologize from the deepest pits in our hearts for posting this so late. We hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter should be out soon. 

We'd like to thank our wonderful friend and lovely beta-reader, Viy, for her wonderful beta-reading. Sorry for all the "statements" (glare at Mignonne..hehe…j/k). Anyway, enjoy. 

~ Sellene

DISCLAIMER - We do not claim to own, or have previously owned any characters or plots included in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. 

CHAPTER EIGHT - IN WHICH THERE IS MORE ROMANCE IN HOGSMEADE

By now, their stroll had taken them to Hogsmeade's one and only wand shop run by Mr. Olivander's twin brother. Both were well known for their remarkable memory and quality wands.

Draco pulled open the smudged, foggy door. "Ladies first," he whispered through their silent link. Ginny blinked at the teasing voice that brushed her mind and turned to him with questioning eyes, unsure if it was he who had spoken or her imagination.

"Well, Weasley?" he asked. "Are you going in or not?"

Ginny smiled and sauntered into the murkily lit shop. Before her eyes could adjust to her surroundings, a thin, elderly voice addressed her.

"Why, it's another Weasley." The old shopkeeper's sapient green eyes met Ginny's with an unusual keenness considering his ripe age. "I was wondering when the little Weasley daughter would buy her first wand." He winked, clambering down a dusty ladder with surprising speed and agility. "I've been waiting." Under his tall, stiff, wizard's hat and silver hair was a face weathered with life and wisdom. Unlike Mrs. Weatherspoon who had blended into her mysterious dark-charms surroundings, Mr. Olivander jumped out. His bright smile clashed with the thick cobwebs that threatened to overtake what little space the store had for movement. His skin was no  
longer smooth, but his youthful sagaciousness and savvy nimbleness rang louder than wrinkles and sunspots. Forest-green robes brought out sharp eyes and his tall stature painted him an ominous figure. He tapped his own maplewood wand and yards of measuring tape swirled from thin air and circled Ginny, meticulously measuring her as if for dress robes. 

The elderly man then turned to the entering Slytherin. "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. Fancy seeing you accompanying Miss Weasley." 

"Mr. Olivander," he replied acknowledging the shopkeeper as the door swung shut behind him. 

"My brother told me about you. If I'm not mistaken, your wand is a rather remarkable eleven and a half-inch sandalwood made from a tree nourished with dragon's blood and tears. The core a..., a basilisk heartstring encrusted with ground dragon scales and faerie dust," he recited proudly. 

"It was the only wand made from that tree and dragon," Draco added nonchalantly. 

"Quite right, my boy." He turned back to Ginny. "Now, about you Miss Weasley." With another tap of his wand, the swirling tape spun from the befuddled redhead and retreated almost sadly into an empty corner, dissolving into the wood paneled wall.   
The shop was cluttered with long aisles and shelves that stood like an army regiment,  
numerous and close together, stocked with dusty boxes. Piles of empty cardboard boxes and useless wand scraps were swept into a dark corner. Despite the disorderly and neglected state that plagued his shop, Mr. Olivander somehow managed to maintain a clear mind. 

He steered Ginny into the second aisle from the right. "Of the six Weasley children that have purchased wands from my brother and I, four have found their wands in aisle two."

"Oh," Ginny answered, finding no better reply.

"Fred had a seven-inch pine with unicorn hair and mermaid scales. George had a seven-inch oak with mermaid hair and centaur horn. Ron and his nine inch maple wood and...," he trailed off, realizing his customer's smiling and nodding face veiled growing impatience. "Well, anyway, now there's you...the first Weasley-born female in over a millennium."

"I am?" Ginny asked, surprised. 

"Oh, yes. Definitely. The last Weasley-born female died well over a thousand years ago." 

Ginny's eyebrows rose as they entered the aisle, but she said nothing more. 

"Ahh, here we are!" The old wizard bent over to pull a box out from the bottommost shelf. "Try this. It's an eight and a half inch holly with unicorn hair."

Ginny fished the wand out from its open box. The smooth polish gleamed just a bit  
too much. It felt wrong in her hands - too short, too long, too heavy, too light. At the instruction of Mr. Olivander, she waved it about awkwardly. Nothing happened. She shrugged and replaced it back into its container, somewhat relieved that the wand didn't want her. 

"Didn't think so anyway..." Mr. Olivander muttered, jamming the box back on to the shelf. "Here, try this. It's a seven-inch pine filled with centaur hair."

This wand felt better in her palm than the first, but it was plain and ordinary. Reluctantly, she let the wand dance through the air. Nothing. Not to be discouraged, Mr. Olivander pulled out another box. "How about this? A ten-inch oak with a phoenix feather." A feeling of idiocy set in as she once again found herself waving a stick sadly in the air.

She had to admit the ten-inch oak felt perfect, but apparently didn't like her back. Fine, it wasn't that great itself.  
  
Mr. Olivander grumbled something Ginny couldn't hear. Draco did however and in  
turn, chuckled snidely. She sniffed airily and looked away to Mr. Olivander. He was atop an ancient ladder, tossing down boxes at an alarming rate. His mouth ran even faster. With each new addition on the ground, he listed its attributes. "Maplewood and faerie wings. Eight inches. Cedar and elf hair, nine. Bamboo and griffin tail hair, seven and a half. Pale oak and..." 

Ginny soon lost track of what he was saying as she frantically waved each wand before another box tumbled down. Ten minutes later, a collection of failed wands was piled in a crumpled heap in aisle two. "Let's try another row," Mr. Olivander decided. "Mr. Malfoy, clean this up if you please." 

"I'm not cleaning anything. I'm a Malfoy. Malfoys don't -," he started, but the shop owner and his redheaded customer had already disappeared into the next aisle. Grumbling, he began to toss the wands into the boxes at his feet. Before long, aisle six was deemed useless as well as aisle one. Aisle four, five and seven followed suit. Draco had blatantly refused to clean up anymore rejected wand piles and Ginny's wrist hurt from hasty wand flicking. On the other hand, Mr. Olivander was in good spirits, leading them to the final aisle. "This is it," he said solemnly. "If we don't find it here, I'm afraid I won't have a wand for you. Aisle three holds our controversial wands, created out of experimentation. They may prove to be very disagreeable to the user."  
Ginny nodded and sighed, vaguely reminded of the exhausting shoe shopping rampages she and Yvette often embarked on. 

Alert evergreen eyes narrowed as they scrutinized each shelf, as if glaring at the dull, uniformed box surfaces would reveal the potency within. After a spell of grave concentration, he drew his own wand. "Accio ladder," he called. Slowly but surely, telltale thumps sounded off as the aged contraption made its way towards them like an elderly troll lady. Draco hastily shifted to the side as it slammed into the shelves, causing all its contents to tremble as in terror. Mr. Olivander scrambled up the ladder's rickety steps and carefully extracted a box. "This one was made with a trial core." He handed it to her, while scanning for the next wand candidate. 

She snapped open the box and lifted a long, slim cherry wood wand from the satin padded depths. She felt warmth vent from its fragrant surface, travel up the length of her arm and spread throughout her body, like steam rising from hot chocolate over her face on icy January mornings. She smiled confidently and thrust the smooth wood into the air. Immediately, sparks flew from the tip, dancing around Ginny in a starry stream. They swirled from head to toe, dousing her in a cloud of light. The air stood completely still as Draco and Mr. Olivander covered their eyes from the vibrant bits of brightness surrounding her body. Ginny closed her eyes, absorbing the tingling aura of moonlit dust. When she lifted her lids, the magical particles were gone. The murky light prevailed once more. Ginny broke into a smile as she lowered her wand. 

Mr. Olivander cleared his throat. "That one appears to suit you quite well. Would you like me to wrap it for you?"

"No, that's alright," Ginny replied, benignly tucking it into her robes. She faced Draco. "We should leave now."

He nodded. "How much do I owe you, Mr. Olivander?" 

"Twenty-five galleons, as usual."

Wordlessly, Draco reached into his robes and handed to him a small sack of galleons. "There's a little something extra in here, since we took so much of your time."

"Oh, not at all. Don't worry about it," the old man replied, though pocketing the entire bag. "Thank-you."

Draco nodded and made his way out to the door. Ginny trailed behind him, a small bounce accentuating her steps. Before she exited his dim little shop, she turned to Mr. Olivander and flashed him a brilliant smile. "Thank-you," she said, sincerity in every syllable. 

  
***********

The sunlight was blinding after the wand shop's musty atmosphere. Walking down the street, Ginny couldn't take her eyes off her new wand. It was _her_ wand. It belonged to _her_. It fit her like it would no one else, not like some hand me down Percy had grown out of. This was a wand crafted for her and only her. She couldn't pull the dizzying jubilance from her face as she examined it from tip to tip. Unscratched and polished, the cherry wood practically glistened in the pale morning light. Breathing out another happy sigh, she pocketed it, knowing that HER wand was in HER robes. Abruptly, she turned to Draco and threw her arms around him.

While one eyebrow had been raised previously at her dazed smile and jolting strut, he was taken aback even more. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she released him and skipped joyously down the street, nearly colliding with a few last-minute Christmas shoppers. He followed, uncertainty marking his footsteps. When Ginny had finally tired from skipping and the jubilance had dulled to a calmer euphoria, she plopped down on a street bench in front of a fountain, centered in the town square. She waited for him to catch up with her. When he did, she turned to him with a shy smile. 

He looked at her coolly, "Yes?" he drawled. Her timid grin widened foolishly as she stared into his statuesque expression.No matter what angle his face tilted or what kind of posture he exhibited, Draco Malfoy was like a masterpiece by Da Vinci. No matter how deeply she peered into his eyes or how bright her smile, his perfect icy coat would never chip or melt. Yet, in some heart-warming way, she felt that he was her icy sculpture. Like the fairy princess's frog, he would melt into a handsome prince when immersed in her love. Not that he wasn't already a handsome prince. Draco Malfoy was so flawless, Ginny often found him hard to touch. Always calm and confident, always unreachable. Every word out of his mouth was calculated and every move he made was carefully planned. This earned him respect in Ginny's eyes, however grudgingly it was given. 

"Yes, Weasley?" he asked again. 

"Nothing, Malfoy." She shook her head. They stood and continued to travel down the dusty streets. At times, Draco Malfoy was down right infuriating, as he had always been till this year. Yet in his eyes, she was now more than another one of Harry Potter's groupies. Somehow, she became more than another Weasley, more than Ron's little sister. For once she was special, her own individual. But why? The question presided in the back of her mind as a dark shadow she stubbornly refused to shed light on. She enjoyed his attention. It felt liberating to be the pursued rather than the one pursuing. Heaven knew Harry never treated her as anything but a stuffed doll. At first, Malfoy's presence had been irritating and alarming. Then slowly, he crept into her mind when she didn't expect it. He became a part of her life. She expected him to help her with potion's homework late on Sunday nights. She expected the teasing half-smile that he wore when they argued, which was nearly every second of their time spent together. At least that part of the 'Weasley-Malfoy' relationship hadn't changed. They squabbled everyday over everything. But while verbal conflicts made up seventy-percent of their dialogue, they no longer grated her nerves. She became frustrated, because he was often right and because his wit was sharp, but never truly angry. It was like how she was no longer annoyed with Harry for ignoring her, Ron for being thick, Hermione for being insufferably smart, or Yvette for being beautiful. Malfoy was just Malfoy and he shared a friendship with her despite the headaches they caused one another. 

Now why would Draco Malfoy, who was mentally acute, handsome, witty and suave be interested in her plain Weasley self? Unconsciously, she wrapped her arm around his and pulled herself closer to him, trying to absorb his bodily warmth. 

As they traveled down Main Street, they passed a large, majestic shop. Ginny stopped their leisurely stroll to examine the display windows. In it was a heavy white-gold necklace encrusted with jewels. Along the diamond chain, ruby droplets hung symmetrically, progressing in size towards a large central pendant. Draco, whose arm she still hugged on to, also stared through the glass. 

"Just because its expensive doesn't mean it's tasteful," he commented, condescension marking every syllable.

"Your existence proves that," Ginny muttered. "I wasn't looking at that monstrous thing anyway. I was looking at the painting to the right." It portrayed a young girl, clothed in a snow-white nightdress, radiating an aura of enchantment. Her head tilted upward, basking in serene moonlight. The peaceful glow splashed onto her face and brought out the subtle sorrow embedded in her face. Her eyes were closed as she stood on the edge of an elegant balcony, balanced atop the ivory railing. Her body leaned dangerously forward, silky blond hair blown behind her by the night's fierce wind. 

Draco stared at the portrait, unmoved. "The shadowing isn't quite right," he stated flatly. "And the position she's in isn't physically possible. If her weight was so far forward, she would fall over." 

Ginny continued to behold the painting, not phased by Draco's words. 

"Besides," he continued. "It's a muggle painting."

"Can't you just appreciate something for its beauty?" Her voice had dropped to a whisper. Draco observed her silently as she studied the art, watching awe shine through blue and green flecks in her deer-like eyes. He turned back to the painting and nodded.   
"Of course, Weasley," he replied. "Of course."

She made her way to the shop entrance and pushed it open, cautiously stepping inside. Within the interior of the sophisticated art gallery, magnificent statues were planted strategically to face the door. Ginny's eyes wandered over each one before focusing her gaze on the paintings that hung upon the stark white walls. Some depicted surreal, yet live scenes; others were of still life, literally. Fluffy clouds floated up near the wide cathedral ceiling, reflecting onto blue-gray marble floors. A simple staircase spiraled up to a hovering platform from the center of the room. Atop the platform was a marble counter and behind it sat a shrewd little man, head buried in a newspaper. 

Ginny and Draco scanned the length of the store, taking in the simple, majestic beauty. Ginny took a step further into the room, her black-heeled clogs echoing delicately in the silent air. Draco stared not with her open-mouthed amazement, but with his usual self-indulged expression. However, if one were to look into his wandering eyes, they'd find silvery seas melted from once frozen ponds of gray. 

The man at the counter glanced carelessly at them and resumed reading. 

"...beautiful," Ginny murmured breathlessly. Draco could only nod in response. They remained mindlessly rooted for a few moments more. The paintings featured wondrous scenes from fairy tales and a child's imagination. Sun faeries danced across frozen lakes, fire blazing in a mystical trail behind them. Children rode on dolphins to visit beckoning mermaids. 

At the back of the store, there was a collection of five paintings similar to the one in the front window. Ginny released Draco's arm, walking past all the fantastical splendor to the neglected corner. The paintings appeared to belong to a series with the same starry-eyed girl. In one, she smiled and winked, posed in royal robes while in another, she rested in a sunny, tropical garden. The third painting showed her swimming in the forest with elf-like grace. The next displayed her seated in front of a mirror, painting a portrait of herself. The last portrait echoed the eerie bittersweet softness of the painting in the display window. She held an infant in her arms, mother and child lost in death-filled melancholy as well as the joy of birth. They held each other's eyes, both sets violet and glowing with love for each other. 

Ginny inched closer to the painting when a shout was interrupted her thoughts. 

"Get away from there, girl!" 

She jerked up hastily like a freshly popped piece of toast. The storeowner glared down from his perch. "You could never afford that," he sneered, in a nasal voice. "So why don't you leave before tainting my store with your poverty."

She pursed her lips in irritation. "How much is it?" she asked. 

"More than what your entire family spends in a year for food, that's for sure." He snorted.

Ginny inhaled deeply, trying to squelch her growing fury. She stared at him angrily, but let her eyes return to the paintings. She exhaled wistfully. 

"How much does it cost?" Draco spoke up, making his way to Ginny's side. The stubby man's eyes widened as fearful recognition dawned on his face. 

"Mis..Mister Malfoy! I...I didn't see you there," he stuttered. "Were you interested in this painting?" He rushed down the staircase and scurried to their corner. He grimaced at Ginny. "Move out of the way, girl!" He turned his back to her rudely and faced Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, I painted all of these myself over years of hard work. You see, these are all one of a kind..." his whiney high-pitched speech trailed off as the attention of his prime customer was averted to the redheaded girl. 

"Sir?" He stepped back, puzzled. Why would Draco Malfoy, who had royal blood in his veins consort with a mere Weasley? The tall, fair figure turned to the cowering shop owner and flashed a snarling smile.   
  
"Excuse me, but I was talking to my friend, Virginia. She's the one who dragged me into this tasteless gallery. Show some courtesy to her or you'll lose a valuable customer." 

He opened his mouth to reply, but Ginny cut him off. "Too late, he already did." She grabbed Draco's arm and flounced out of the store, dragging him behind her. They burst gratefully out onto the streets. 

"Did you see that look on his face?" she laughed. "It was priceless."

Draco smirked. "He's a fake. He obviously didn't paint them."

"The paintings all had such different styles and the last one was definitely a self-portrait," Ginny agreed. "Still...whoever did paint them, they're beautiful." She glanced back briefly at the shop window where the lovely painting still hung. Sighing, she hurried to catch up with Draco who was already several paces ahead of her. Just when they had settled into a comfortable pace, she suddenly halted in her tracks and slipped into an empty alley. He continued to walk ahead, but she pulled him back to her. 

"What is it now?" he snapped, only his voice lacked the proper irritation. He pushed away the urge to attempt the sentence again. 

"I have something to tell you," she began. "I know this is abrupt and I would normally never say this to you, but it's proper at this point." 

The way her eyes met his seemed to signify a gravity not unlike the mood of their conversation in the hospital wing after her second fainting spell. What was going to happen now? The way her warm, chocolatey depths poured into him through their gaze foreshadowed a monumental moment. Knowing Ginny Weasley, and yes he was beginning to know Ginny Weasley, she held true to her emotions. Whatever image lay upon the surface of her cappuccino eyes would reflect her next action. Her current expression was of growing infatuation. Suppressing a smirk, he mentally patted himself on the back. He had succeeded, she held her heart out to him in open hands. His family wouldn't die painfully or slowly after all. However, at that moment, the fate of the proud Malfoy heritage was the last thing on his mind. As she stepped closer to him, he could smell the sweet chamomile and jasmine scent of her hair and feel the warmth given off by her subtly trembling body. 

Her lips parted slightly and she licked them gently, breaking into her trademark grin. Briefly, he wondered how her body could be so cold yet her eyes and smile so warm. She looked down and chuckled nervously. "I've been meaning to tell you this," she continued, peering up at him shyly. "Malfoy, I -" she paused again. "I-"

That was the breaking point for Draco. He knew what she wanted and he wanted it as much as she. "I-," she started again, but was interrupted by his lips pressing softly against her own. The two words she wanted to say remained at the tip of her tongue, but he brushed them away with his own.She leaned in willingly as he pulled her closer to him. Lost in the intoxicating moment, the outside world faded away and all they could perceive was each other. All that mattered was his surprisingly warm hold on her lower back and his long comforting fingers running through her hair. Then as tenderly as it had begun, it ended. 

He pulled away, finally allowing a smirk to surface. Only somehow, it appeared as a full smile. 

His lips left hers cold and numb, but his arms were still encircled around her waist. Gradually, she opened her eyes. Funny, she couldn't even remember when they had closed. He was smiling at her in a foolish manner and she returned to her original intention, finding her words once more. 

"Malfoy, I...." she reached up and ran her fingers along his fine jaw-line. Her touch was as smooth as silk and as soft as feathers as it grazed his skin. Her gentle caress against his rough shaven texture was heaven on earth. "I just wanted to say-," she leaned in. "Thank-you," she whispered delicately before leaning in for another heady kiss. 

Distracted by her tantalizing mouth, her words took several seconds to register. She tasted vaguely of cinnamon and strawberries, a combination foreign to him till now. Like the first, this kiss also ended too fast. It wasn't until afterwards that he realized  
what she'd said. 

"Thank-you," her voice echoed wispily in his memory. It was so soft he didn't believe he'd heard it. 

"What?" he asked, brow furrowing slightly. 

"Thank-you, Malfoy," she repeated.

"That's what you wanted to tell me?" he asked, half to himself. 

"Yeah. Before you kissed me, all I wanted to do was say thank you."

"For...?"

"For defending me from that guy back there, for buying my first real wand, for being a friend..."

"That was it?"

She pulled away, puzzled by his sudden change of emotion. "What?" she asked, her voice growing livid. "What's wrong? Do you regret kissing me?"

A million responses bounced around inside his head but none made it to his lips. He looked confused, half-asking rather than his usual sureness. 

Ginny stared at him questioningly for a moment and frowned. "What the fuck, Malfoy?" she spat. Their warm moment froze over and they returned to the cold winter day. She pushed out of his hold and spun away, annoyed. Where his hands had been were now cold, empty feeling spots. 

Draco blinked, staring numbly after her. Suddenly, a wave of anger washed over him. "What do you mean, what the fuck?" He spun her around to face him once more. "What'd I do now, Weasley? Fucking tell me what I did wrong!"

Ginny's eyes widened in anger. "Why are you so upset?"

His grip tightened around her arms. "Why are you?"

"Malfoy, do you remember who I am?

His hands loosened. "Of course."

"Do you remember who you are?"

"What are you getting at?"

"My name is Virginia Weasley. You name is Draco Malfoy. Virginia Weasley and Draco Malfoy were kissing in a dark alley." Her voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "Why were they kissing in a dark alley? Why did he regret it afterwards? Why did-"

"Why does it matter?" he replied, fervency seeping through his even tone. 

"Because," Ginny whispered, suddenly feeling very frail. "I think Virginia might be falling in love."

"With me?" he caught her helpless gaze. 

He was pushing down on her with his sharp, gray eyes. It hurt. She couldn't move: she couldn't blink, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't respond. She probably couldn't stand up on her own. "With me?" he asked again, louder. 

Meekly, she nodded. What was wrong with her? His eyes were icicles stabbing into her soul. They probed her insides, melting venom into her. She was numb, naked, mutilated into someone else. Then, as he leaned in towards her, she realized the venom wasn't poison, but a sweet, dizzying potion. She felt warm and safe as he melted himself into her, herself into him. And his lips were on hers again, hungry and eager. She was standing on toes now, pushing her mouth desperately closer to his, caressing the back of his neck and shoulders. 

His large hands crushed her body into his own. She was so soft, her touch fitting his like a key into a lock. The world would freeze over if they didn't get closer, if they didn't close all space between their bodies. They were perfect for each other - ice and fire, hard and soft, yin and yang, antithetical. Reluctantly, he let her break away. She was so beautiful, with cheeks rosied by winter wind and lips bruised with kisses. 

"We should get back," she whispered. 

"We should," he agreed. 

Ginny felt as if she were floating. Her only conscious thought was off Draco's arms around her, his comforting touch, his reassuring scent. She was afraid he was only a wonderful dream. She was afraid he was a lovely mirage that would wisp away if she did so much as speak. So she remained silent, nestled in his hold, letting him guide her down the busy street. Unfortunately, Draco was caught up in his own dreamy state and the floating couple crashed into a debilitated wooden booth in their path. 

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. The young witch within the thin swaying walls didn't answer, simply adjusting her thick black-framed glasses. Small, silky tendrils hung free from her messy bun unnoticed as nimble fingers crafted delicate patterns in the glass. Curious, Ginny cocked her head to the side. A lump of glass rested in the artisan's right hand, as her left flittered in open air. Gradually, the glass elongated, widened, and solidified into a gleaming, translucent faerie. The woman smiled, exhaling for the first time since she began. Ginny smiled in delight as the woman tapped her creation, making it dance across the booth. The figurine froze in place when she tapped it again. After seeing her customer's disappointed face, she tapped it again, letting the glass creature spring back into life. 

"The figure's movements are etched into its design," she explained. "When tapped, it will go through the same series of movements. Some are created in sets and thus react to one another. This particular piece is part of a pair." She motioned to the rest of her sculptures, letting her hand fall upon a sable dragon fitted together with opaque glass pieces. She carefully placed it next to the tiny faerie. The silvery, transparent dancer was only the size of one talon, but she showed no fear of the ebony dragon curled up in sleep. She danced upon his jeweled body and down his glistening tail, her own delicate figure reflecting off his body. She awoke him with a gentle kiss. He opened his gigantic palm, where she continued her faerie dance. There, their movements were paused and their moment frozen. 

"Well?" The woman asked. "This would make a great Christmas or New Year's gift." 

By then, Draco's arms had snake back around her waist and she nestled into him. She shook her head sadly. "I've already finished my holiday shopping." And went broke in the process, she added silently. 

"I understand," the merchant replied, with a wink in Draco's direction. He nodded and pulled Ginny away from the booth. 

"We have to return to Hogwarts before supper. They'll notice we're gone," he said. 

"How do we get back?"

"You'll see." He smirked. 

"Down that thing?" Ginny stared down the open gutter incredulously. An unpleasant aroma wafted from its murky depths and something seemed to be sloshing around down in the sewer water. 

"You grasp the concept well," Draco laughed. "Well, ladies first."

"I'm not going first. You go," she cried indignantly. 

"Fine." With that, he prepared to leap in. 

"Wait!" she grabbed him back. "Why don't we go together? The hole's pretty big. We'd both fit."

"We can't," he stated simply. "People will see us when we come out of the portrait together. They'll talk."

"I don't care. Do you?" 

He sighed. He knew it would come to this at some point. "We can't go in at the same time, Weasley. Surely you understand why. The portal will lead you back into school through the painting with the cat. From there, just go to your dormitory. I'll contact you via mind-ball later."

"Fine," she snapped irritably. With that, she dived into the dark, foul depths of the gutter. 

Draco smiled to himself. He wouldn't go back just yet: he still had a bit of business to attend to in Hogsmeade.

***************** 

Ginny tumbled through the cat painting, nearly falling into Snape's classroom door. Ignoring the curious glances from third year Ravenclaws traveling down the hall, she angrily stalked back to Gryffindor tower. Why didn't Malfoy want people to see them together? _He_ initiated their relationship. _He_ was adamant about being her _friend_. Why did he want to hide everything now? Especially after they shared those heart-wrenching kisses in the alley. Sighing, she stepped into her room and noticed one thing right away. On her bed was a brown parcel addressed to her in familiar, drawling cursive. 

Cautiously, she untied it and folded the paper back. Inside was the very figurine she had admired. The faerie was still dancing upon the dragon's palm, the setting sun making her small slippers glitter. 

__

To Ginny, the faerie that dances in my life. 

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT

Thank you so much to all the wonderful reviewers! I can't believe people actually reviewed the "alternate scene." Lol. Here are some individual thank-you's. Please read and review. We LIVE on them.

LaughingGasGirl - Glad you like our story. Please keep reading. 

sOmEoNeSpEcIaL - it is pretty good, isn't it? Lol, j/k.

Giovanna - I was so touched by your review, I giggled incessantly for three hours. It's so long! Your fic has a wonderful plot. Keep up the good work. 

Oak - Wow, is it really that good? *sigh* I'm so happy.

Caitriona Briana - happy you liked the line.

jhlseaz - thank you. Cassie's Draco series is of course what inspired this fic in the first place so….hehe

viy - You know we love you! Thank you soooo much for fixing all the spelling errors. Esp. debilitated. =)

Alizee - got enough DG action? Sorry it took us so long to update.

Nice - ahh…faithful reviewer. It's nice to know you enjoyed the alt. beginning. 

Aurora - you like the alt. better than the normal version? Ack! Heaven help me. Anyway…yeah it repeated cuz ff.net was acting funny.

Ms. Raye Sinic - thank you! Sorry it took so long. good to know our fic is "cute"

Madame Padfoot - we actually don't know what's going to happen with the mindball. It didn't get much action this chapter. Hmmm. 

Nale /Ethereal - sorry to have made you wait

Timeless - it's weird? 

Double Trouble *Star Fever - You're another one of those faithful reviewers who have been with us since the start. Glad you enjoyed

Aurora - did you review us twice? Ahh well, we're thanking you twice.

From A-Z - hope you enjoyed ch. 8. Liked the "dg action?" hehe

Jasper - nope, the guy who put the spell on them is named "Weatherby." Weatherspoon is just some random lady that's supposed to help show a softer side of Draco. 

Ayla Pascal - we're gonna post both this chapter and the last at schnoogle tomarrow! =)

Dinky - yeah…we're hurrying.

Witchy_grrl - we might. Hehe. You never know with us….bwahahaha

Glitterglue - lol! Good luck with algebra. 

Nice - awww, our feelings weren't hurt. But thanx for clarifying. We love you!

Miki-chan - lol. Well, I feel all dizzy and I bounce when I walk. Just trying to describe my happiness. See ya on Monday? 

Chocagirl23 - *hides from your very very sharp butter knife* was that enough dg action for you? Huh? Huh? Lol. Anyway, I know last chapter was slightly abrupt. I just wanted to get it posted. I'm really happy you like Yvette. Hehe. 

Su - yes soooooo many possibilities. So keep reading to find out! Lol. Thank you for liking the dgness

Asanya - is this the second time we're thanking you? Ahh well. Thank you!

VioletJersey - was this chapter worth the wait too? I hope so. =)

Verena Gruen - I love that we have "international" readers. Hehe. Glad you're enjoying.

Crystal Lily - we did….right?

LilyAyl - thanks for the review. Hehe. That was basically the romance. Did you like? Be honest. 

Daft Bugger - sorry, we did kinda make you wait, didn't we? Oh well…did you like? Huh? Be honest like lily ayl. 

~kaylin~ - yay! We did!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Rita d. - thank you. We're continuing. 

Mary - thank you soooo much. We were worried that it was moving too slowly, so I'm glad you think its moving just right. 

TohmaDanzig - we tried to add more soon. We really did. But you know with finals and everything….sellene got sick *sigh*

Blinkinpark182 - yay! We will try. 

Wysteria - love ur name. Sorry to have made you wait. But we have lives!

Once again……. Thank you all soooooooo much! And once again…. Sorry to have taken so long to post. But we had to study for finals. Our last notebook ran out of paper so we had nothing to write in. lol, we were too lazy to get another. Anyway, the next chapter should come out soon. I've said that like a billion times already. Hehe. Anyway. Thanks again to Viy. 

~ Sellene


	10. In Which There Are Many Notes In A Very ...

Dear readers,

Yeah, I know. It's been a while, but we have lives outside of fan-fiction – school, family, sports (hehe…TKD), volunteer work, the list goes on. Yes, I know. It's a feeble excuse. We hope you still love us. Enjoy.

Love, 

Sellene

Chapter Nine: In Which There Are Many Notes In A Very Short Chapter

******************

To Ginny, the faerie that dances in my life. 

Malfoy. The roller coaster he had set her emotions on took another steep plunge. She sighed, staring at the simple piece of parchment, reading the nine words over and over again. 

_To Ginny, the faerie that dances in my life. _

_To Ginny, the faerie that dances in my life. _

_To Ginny, the faerie that –_

She sighed again and set the note down, feeling very much like flopping on her bed melodramatically. She had told him she loved him. But did he? What if it was a game or even a bet- who knew what twisted concepts the Slytherins could come up with in those dank dungeons. She sprawled recumbent on her bed, glaring at the innocent note. The winter ball was only a few days away….

Insistent tapping on her bedside window interrupted her contemplation. She looked up dreamily at the huge black bird pecking at the glass, his ebony feathers and steely eyes glistening in the sun. 

What the hell…?

Opening the window, the raven entered swiftly, nearly knocking her over. It swooped around the room in a circular motion before dropping a letter at her feet and sailing out into the myriad of sunset colors.

Ginny stared after the disappearing figure and blinked. The bird hadn't even landed to be paid. Slowly, she picked up the envelope read the minute message inside. She then shook her head in disbelief and read it again. And again. And again. Until the parchment combusted abruptly along with its accompanying envelope. The fiery mess fell to the floor and dissolved into haunting nothingness. Her own body collapsed onto her deep maroon bed, unwilling to believe what she had just read. 

_To Miss Virginia Weasley:_

_Yvette Delcaour' s blood will be on your hands if you do not come to the forest at the south end of Hogsmeade tonight at eleven o'clock. Bring two thousand galleons._

It wasn't signed. Finally remembering her friend's absence that morning, Ginny looked to Yvette's empty bed, her eyes resting on the dresser beside it. Two pictures in matching oak frames stood on the smooth polished surface. One displayed Yvette and herself on the eve of their fourth year Yule ball. The picture had been snapped without warning when both were laughing at a forgotten joke. Yvette was busy with Ginny's hair, sweeping it into an intricate bun. In the other frame lay a photograph of Yvette's mother holding her daughter up and spinning around to achieve delighted two-year-old giggles. Ginny looked down, arising tears threatening to blur her vision. 

The covers of Yvette's bed lay in a tousled heap, amid the disheveled blankets a tattered toy. She made her way to the messy bed and picked up the off-white stuffed rabbit, smiling in memory of Yvette's relentless attachment to the ragged object. As she did, she noticed a piece of parchment peeking out from beneath the pillow. She unfolded the crumpled paper.

_Meet me at the transfiguration room at midnight._

_Love,_

_Ron_

Ron! Was he involved in this? Or what if Ron was held under an Imperious Curse? Notions bounced through her head, each train of thought leading to another possible traitor, plot or hoax. She shook her head, running a hand through her tangled hair. The action was almost violent, driven by desperate determination to quell the paranoia that swelled in her mind. She had to calm down; she had to think rationally. 

Ron involved in dark magic plot and seducing her irresistible veela best friend? She would have laughed if she were in a stable mental state. 

Someone kidnapped Yvette - that much was clear. But why, because they simply wanted two thousand galleons? Who, in their right mind, would choose to threaten a Weasley with a ransom note? She shook her head frantically, there was simply no time to ponder all the possibilities of this strange situation. She had to alert Dumbledore. 

She shot out the door and skimmed down the cobblestone steps, stumbling clumsily into the common room. Harry and Hermione were cuddled in a loveseat by the fire. Ginny rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth not too reluctantly to interrupt the cliché romance novel scene. 

Strangely enough, nothing happened. Her voice vibrated in her throat, but the silence continued. Her hands flew to the base of her neck. She tried again. Her voice was gone?

_"Hermione?"_ Silence. Panic's chaotic beat began to drum in her mind. 

_"Harry? Hermione?"_ she screamed. Hermione calmly turned a page, the sound deafening in Ginny's straining ears. Her throat hurt from the yell, but still no voice would appear. She rushed to them, frantically waving her arms. 

_"Yvette's been kidnapped,"_ she mouthed helplessly. 

They looked up. "Oh, hello Ginny." Hermione smiled. "Where have you been all day?

Ginny glared at her. Couldn't they see she was a fish out of water? Again, she tried to speak. Nothing happened except for the appearance of puzzled expressions on Harry and Hermione's faces. 

Ginny sighed and waved her arms to show the big black bird flying in through her window and the contents of the ransom note. 

Two, zero, zero, zero, she motioned. Yvette – she pointed to gold-coated fire pokers and then her own hair – is missing! She opened and closed her hands to reveal nothing. 

_"Yvette is missing!"_ she mouthed. 

Harry eyed her strangely. "Are you alright Ginny? Do you need to go to Madame Pomfrey's?"

Ginny sighed, and waved her arms around a bit more. This was a game of charades from hell. She considered the pros and cons of the situation. If she were taken to the hospital wing and somehow regained her voice, valuable time would be lost. Yvette might be killed in a matter of hours. She stretched her lips into a smile, backing away slowly and shaking her head. Once she was halfway up the stairs, she turned and ran back to her room. 

Hogsmeade. She had to get to Hogsmeade. Ginny searched frantically in her dresser for a certain hideous robe given to her by a certain pair of twin brothers. She found the garment at the bottom of the bottom-most drawer and threw it on, tucking various useful objects into its enchanted folds. 

"It has fifty-one self-enclosing, weightless pockets!" Fred had exclaimed last Christmas, as Ginny unfolded the lime colored robe from its matching box. 

"And green has always been your color," George added.

"It's lovely," she had lied, giving each of them a warm hug. It definitely wasn't lovely, but fifty-one self-enclosing pockets sure came in handy at a time like this. She filled them with food, water, muggle lock-picking kits, a spell almanac, and her wand. There was only one thing missing: the two thousand galleons. 

 *******

Draco stepped out of the shower, feeling extremely relaxed. It'd been quite a day between buying Ginny a wand, walking with Ginny, talking with Ginny, and not to mention making Ginny fall in love with him. He smiled at himself in the mirror, relishing narcissistically in the look of success. Pulling on a black bathrobe, he proceeded to tie the sash when a certain someone's voice appeared in his mind. 

_"Malfoy! I need you help." _

_"Weasley? What are you doing?"_ he answered, suddenly feeling very exposed in the empty prefect's bathroom. Reminding himself that the mindball allowed for no visual communication, he cautiously knotted the sash. 

_"I need your help,"_ she repeated urgently. 

_"My help? With what?"_ He reached for his wand to dry his damp hair that fell suavely down over his eyes. He wondered momentarily if he should leave it wet. It'd be something for girls to drool at. On the other hand, it'd present a state of unkemptness that Malfoys kept secret from the world. 

_"Malfoy. I'm in trouble. I need two-thousand galleons now."_

_"Two-thousand galleons?" _He lifted his wand and muttered a drying spell. _"That's an awful lot of money." _

_"You think I don't know that?" _Her lips twisted to the side in frustration.

 _"Why do you need it?"_

"I don't have time to explain. It's a life or death situation. Just drop it by the cat painting, you know, the one that leads to Hogsmeade. I need it as soon as possible."  

There was silence and for a moment Ginny was afraid he had closed the link in rage.

_"This is a life or death situation,"_ she repeated.

_"Life or death?"_ She could almost see his eyebrow raising.

_"Malfoy!"_ she screeched, her temper flaring easily under the stress. _"You can't lie mind to mind! I need the money now."_'

The long silence grated on her already frayed nerves. _"Well?"_

Her smirked. Two thousand galleons was only a month's allowance after all. _"I expect the loan to be repaid by next month. After that I charge interest."_

She smiled in relief. _"I wouldn't expect anything else."_

_"Besides,"_ he continued. _"I knew you would come to me someday for money."_

She growled. _"And one day you'll come to me begging for a soul."_

_"Oh, that hurt, Weasley,"_ he laughed.

_ "Thanks, Malfoy. I...I owe you one."_

_"You bet you do."_

Snapping their link shut like a briefcase, she pulled on an oversized plain, black school robe. The bright green would have made her a glow-in-the-dark target. She frowned at her bulky reflection in the dormitory mirror. Bits of neon fabric peeked out from under the school uniform. With a final glance at the pictures on Yvette's dresser, she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. 

She knew several paths to Hogsmeade, many of which where shown to her by her brothers. However, they all seemed to involve skidding down ghost-marked tunnels or creeping along the banks of Hogwart's underground moat. Malfoy's dive into the Persian cat was by far the fastest method. 

Her ragged, puffing robes coupled with her severely pulled back hair and scruffy sneakers drew the attention of the few others wandering the corridors. Yes, Ginny Weasley had reached a new fashion low, but it couldn't be helped at the moment. She pursed her lips in determination as she faced the wall she remembered as the one painting was hung upon. The sack of galleons was below where the portrait would have been. She hurriedly tucked it into her robes and glared stonily at the wall. She had come to an impasse that to go through the painting, she needed to_ see _it first. 

After a few minutes of unproductive starring, she gave up and opted for a new method. She closed her eyes and envisioned the painting against the stonewall. Gathering all her focus into one breath, she rammed her body into where the cat's inviting mouth would have been. For a moment, she thought she actually fell through, but the dizzy sensation was only a side effect of the wall's impact on her body. Recovering herself, she tried again only to bruise her shoulder roughly against the granite surface. A wave of nausea and dizziness made tears well up in her eyes, but she angrily blinked them away. She had to see the painting- she needed Malfoy. 

Should she drag him along with her? No, he'd only get in the way. Besides, he may even be involved in the kidnapping. Calming herself down to a point of rational thinking, she reached out for him in the swirling ocean of her thoughts. She hit the point where his sea met hers in a strangely beautiful blend of sunrise and sunset. 

When she snapped open her eyes, she saw a solid flicker of the painting against the gray. Willing her body to not hit the unyielding cold surface, she dashed through without hesitation and found herself blinking dazedly on Hogsmeade's now dark streets.

Recovering herself, she took off running to where Yvette's captors would be. At night, the almost medieval seeming streets resembled her father's postcards of muggle cities. The nightlife bustled around her in flashing lights of bars and merry melodies of carolers. She bounded past all the corner Santa Clauses and the tired, muddy beggars towards the fringes of town. 

The bright lights quickly faded behind her. A few faded rays from small houses on the outskirts of town lit the dirt road ground beneath her feet. Her steps slowed, the sound of her heels against the cobblestone echoing eerily in the darkness - the card had asked her to meet them at the south end. Ginny bit her lip. She was pretty sure that she was at the south end of town. After all, the sun had set in the direction of Mrs. Weatherspoon's shop. If that was west, then this empty, barely residential part of town must be south. She spun around towards the woods. Yvette could be just beyond the thin veil of trees. Holding her breath, she proceeded into the dark forest. 

******

Draco stepped out of the bathroom and walked briskly to his room, looking immaculate as usual. He prided him self in his appearance of absolute perfection as if his entire existence was one long good hair day. 

Once inside the dungeons, he immediately called a house-elf to count and deliver two thousand galleons to the portrait. The ugly and pitifully obedient creature barely made it out the door, when a ferocious black raven showed up at his window. His eyes narrowed as he slid the glass open. Of all his father's pet messengers, this obsidian creature was by far his least favorite. She loved to do Lucius's dirty work and reminded him strangely of Pansy: beautiful but strangely vicious and deceitful. He vividly recalled a memory of her leaving bloody peck-marks on his body after he'd disobeyed his father back in fourth year. It was the year he met Yvette and her mother.  

Grimacing, he shoved the bird outside before her delivery could hit the ground. She squawked angrily and threw her body against the thick, frosted glass a few times. Draco smirked and drew the drapes as he bent to pick up the letter. The cream colored material was thick and expensive, sealed with a wax emblem of a stygian 'M' intertwined with silver snakes.

_Dear Draco,_

_Alas, I have found a solution to the curse concerning you and the Weasley girl.  Come to the south end of Hogsmeade at midnight. The dark lord has granted you the honors of canceling the imprecation. Congratulations as I expect you are very pleased with this recent occurrence. Be punctual.  _

_Merry Christmas. _

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco set the letter down so as not to singe his fingers when it burst into flame. He had a strong feeling that 'this recent occurrence' had to do with Ginny's 'life or death situation'. He ran a hand through his gelled hair: life had just gotten a bit more complicated. 

*************************

Ginny stumbled over yet another large tree root, and with that decided she had come far enough. If this was the south end forest, then Yvette's kidnappers couldn't be far away. 

"_Come out, you bastards!_" she attempted to scream, only to remember her voice was gone. She cursed silently.

Without warning, a fluorescent green light shot violently out of the darkness, its target clearly her own body. The blow knocked her on to her back but left her unharmed. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she blinked rapidly as robed figures materialized from the gloomy emptiness between the ancient tress. It was as if she were in a ruin, surrounded by ominous faceless statues. 

A figure paced forward, "So, you finally arrived."

Ginny glared furiously, focusing all her hate on his shadow-obscured face. The figure continued towards her, unfazed. As trembles over took her body, she raised her wand shakily, aiming it directly at whatever lay beneath his hood.

The figure stopped and she could almost see the condescending smirk on his face. She knew who he was. Lucius Malfoy had ruined her life once and he was about to do it again. His hand rose, nestled in his palm a glowing bauble. The ball pulsed and glowed, illuminating the glen. 

Ginny looked away to avoid the piecing glow. The ball brightened, causing her eyes to clench and her head to spin. She dropped her wand to shield her eyes from the blinding intensity that sent her to her knees, curling into a fetal position. Then as abruptly as it started, the light was gone. She blinked, unsure if her eyes were open or not. She was surrounded by thick pitch-black air, her eyes unable to adjust, as if she were blind. Panicked, she groped around the ground, feeling for her fallen wand. She froze. The ground had changed from the grassy, root-infested, dirt-covered forest floor to a rugged stone surface.

"Lost something?" he chuckled. "You might be interested to know that, even though you lost your sight you have gained your voice." 

Her head tilted sharply towards the source of the voice, hoping that he would speak again. After a moment, she desperately tried to engage her captor in conversation. "Where am I?", she wanted to ask. There was so much she wanted to ask. Where was Yvette? Were Draco and Mrs. Weatherspoon and the detention committee part of some intricate plan to get her killed? To capture Yvette? Either way, I'll to rip every vital organ you have from your body, she thought to herself angrily, and slowly feed them to pigs you you arrogant, cold blooded, son of a -

Instead she sighed shakily and said, "What do you want with me Lucius?"

For a while, Ginny was afraid he had already left her - alone, blinded, and wandless - until he spoke once more. 

"You'll see soon enough."

******

End of Chapter 9

What will happen to Ginny? What will happen to Yvette? To Draco? To H+H and Ron? All that and more in the next chapter of "Antithetical."  Stay tuned. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! They really keep us going. There were some questions I wanted to answer. But I can't remember them anymore. LOL. Anyway, individual thanks are below. Review. Please. Thank-you.

Rainbow Dreamer – Yes, we eventually did. Lol. Your puppy dog eyes are so cute! =)

Hypermonkey67 – ahh! Kill, kill, kill?!?!??! So scary!!! Lol. Oh well. Love hurts. Wink wink…Did that make sense to you? It didn't to me. 

I\/I 1I – hmm, will you even make it far enough to read this thank you? Haha, thank- you so much for letting us watch Trigun. And thank-you so much for putting up with my incessant demands for more. Read and review?

Jennifer Kay – Yes, we've written more. Do you like? Wanna review? Just press the button below. Hehe.

Chillz – lol, you sound like the kelloggs tiger. Glad you like. Sorry we didn't hurry. We will though with the next one.

Marianya – awww, you're so sweet! We adore you for adoring the fic! =)

MagicalMoonPrincess – have you ever been to www.moonromance.com? It's the best SM fanfiction site. =) Anyway, yeah…sweet Draco was a mistake. We're actually trying to make him harder. Er..rougher, I mean.

Scott – wow! Are you a guy review?!?! So cool! And if you're not…still so cool! Hehe, I don't think we're capable of making a big plot..so yes, antithetical will remain a pointless romance. 

ShadowFox – you know we love u! Stars! Must…make…more! Hehe..

Rabbit – yes..okay, since you will probably never read this thank you, I won't bother writing much. Thanks for making it past most of (hopefully ;) chapter one. LOL. 

Yam – yup, we're typing. The notebook is more drawings now than actual writing. Maybe we'll do fanart…hmm

Miki-chan – HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank u soooo much for you super-duper long review. Yes, the WTF is very very out of place. I was in one of my "moods" Hehe. See ya.

Faith Akiyama – obsession? Wow…we're good! Hehe. Glad you enjoy so much. Recommend more! Hehe..we're review-hungry. Luv ya lots for reviewing, but will luv ya more for reviewing more…*hint hint*

Quidditch Star – yeah, we're trying to make him tough. But he's gone all soft. ***sigh*** oh well, glad you're liking. Ur review made us feel very good, though its not all that true. =) Oh well, happiness is but a drug. That made no sense. Moving on.

Marsgurl – glad u like..we wrote more..we will write more…if you review more…

Lady Jade – yeah, we're trying to make it more organized. The unorganization is mainly my fault…but hey! I churn out a lot at once. 

Lady Riddle – oh wow! We love you! So much! Here's more. LOL. Hope u could wait that long. 

Hosista – yeah, sexy..irritating, that's him alrite. It's sad…when ever I walk down the street, and I see a remotely attractive blonde guy… I think DRACO! Hehe

Myobgirly – thank you so much. You will know what happens…if you read…and REVIEW!! =) hehe ^_^ 

Silver Wolfing – wow, our story is all that? Hmm.. you want advice? Ask away. Just e-mail us at mignonne_sellene@yahoo.com

Charismatic – one of the best? You make us feel so special! *squeals*  guess who came up with that line? Guess! Guess! Yup! It was sellene…hehe I'll stop gloating now…

Phasera – DG is actually really popular as u probably have found out by now. Read Cassandra clair's Draco Dormiens, Draco Sinister, and Draco Veritas (in that order)…you'll like. I promise.

SmartKid – lol pins and needles? Ouch. Lol. Of course we'll continue. We're perseverers! =) are u a perseverant reviewer?

Lady Setsuna – aww… we got you addicted? Obviously, you've never read Cassandra clair…now there's a goddess. Read her Draco series at schnoogle.com. U'll love it. 

Sylvester McMonkey McBean – wow, funky cool name..so hard to type! Lol … thank you soooooooooooo much…. We didn't finish quickly…but we got something out…*sniff*.. u were the first reviewer for chapter nine! We love you!

Once again, thanks a bunch to everyone who reads this fic. Thanks a double bunch to everyone who reviews. =) ^_~ 


	11. In Which Light Is Shed On The Past

To our betas

Kat, viy, meiko, ditz_princess, and miki 

Thank you all so much for putting up with sellene's "high-lite all corrections rule and taking time to correct all the funny sentence structure errors. Sorry for rushing u guys…it's sellene's stupid impatience with updating.   
***~* S.K.A.M.M.M. + Laurens = S.K.A.M.M.M.M.L. *~*** oh dear….we need a better acronym. It's the Antithetical Chapter Ten Dream Team. ^_^ Seriously, we really appreciate you guys taking ur time for our lil fic. And…Jaewon is MINE. Bwahhaha. Thanx ditz by the way…for my consolation prize…Meiko and Miki…thanx for the laugh. Btw…..spineless sycophant was migs…bwahahaha, not sell's. 

CHAPTER TEN – In Which Light Is Shed On The Past

After some countless hours, Yvette fell deaf to the scuttling noises of the furry beasts that kept her company in the dank imprisonment. She patted the black-spotted straw beside her, vainly attempting to make the moldy pile comfortable and free of other living creatures. Brushing her hair from her eyes, she lowered herself to the makeshift pillow as her mind wandered back to the first time she had seen the manor. 

Her life had been a roller-coaster ride from the very beginning - born to a Death Eater and a disowned half veela. Her father was murdered the year Voldemort vanished, leaving his bride and one-month-old daughter penniless. For thirteen years, her mother, Vianne, managed to scrape together a living in France, but life at Beauxbatons was not for a poor girl without a stable home. As their finances dipped below rock bottom, her mother resorted to their last hope - the Malfoys. 

They had arrived at the castle gates -their few belongings stuffed in rundown bags- and requested to see Lucius Malfoy, the brother of her long dead father. His response had been simple: they could have a roof over their heads if they worked as servants. 

Until Draco Malfoy came home from school, they did this without incident, keeping the secret of Yvette's Malfoy blood hidden from the household. Frequent confrontations between father and son led to increased tensions in an already strict and frigid atmosphere. And as times worsened for the Death Eaters, so did Lucius's temper. His visits to the wine cellar became regular and he was often found drinking through the afternoon and night. 

On the dusk of one of these long afternoons, the door to Yvette and her mother's servant quarters slammed open to reveal a drunken Lucius Malfoy. The collar of his robe was loosened and alcohol's telltale stench surrounded him. He stumbled into the room, eyeing Vianne hungrily. 

"Good afternoon, Vianne," he slurred sickeningly. 

She did not answer him, but rose calmly to her feet. "Leave the room, Yvette."

"Mais, Maman-," she began, eyeing Lucius distrustfully. Vianne glared at her and nodded towards the door. Yvette didn't speak, but glared back, refusing to abandon her mother. 

Lucius, unaware of all this, grinned maliciously at his target. Swaggering his way towards her until he loomed over her petite frame, he sneered into her face, "My brother's little whore. You - you're barely even a witch, you veela-mudblood piece of trash." 

Yvette's lips pursed into a thin line and her hands clenched into fists. Her mother was in every way better than the tyrant in front of her, but yet she was at his mercy because she wanted a better future for her daughter. 

"Lucifer would have never looked twice at you if you weren't an easy lay with a pretty face." He chuckled, raising a hand to stroke Vianne's expressionless face. "How does that feel, my dear? To know that your only worth is a set of blue eyes? What would you do if they were gone?" His fingers clenched on her throat, drawing a gasp from both her and her daughter. 

Yvette trembled in fear and anger. Her mother, her only true family left, stood defenseless in front of Voldemort's most prized Death Eater. 

"My brother was a fool." Lucius lurched forward. "He gave up the Malfoy fortune, all the royal blood and glory for you." 

Vianne backed away slowly, motioning frantically for Yvette to leave. Her daughter remained rooted to her spot, a look of terror plaguing her face. 

"You're pleasing to the eye, of course, being the unnatural creature that you are," he continued. "But I'm still unclear as to why he would taint our pure blood with your's to create that child." He waved his arm vaguely in Yvette's direction. Infuriated, Vianne raised an arm to slap him, but he caught it sharply in spite of his intoxicated state. "I guess I just have to find out your charm for myself." He smirked nastily before mashing his lips painfully against her's. The taste of vomit and vodka filled Vianne with nausea as her eyes flew open with alarm. Oblivious to her daughter's terrified screams, his hands groped her poorly clad body relentlessly and his heavy, drunken frame forced her violently to the ground. It wasn't until the veela's nails dug sharply into his flesh that he pulled away. 

"Filthy bitch." He looked down and fingered the blood spilling down his chest. His wand snaked shakily to her throat, the cold wood threatening to crush her delicate bones. "Crucio," he slurred hatefully, his blurred eyes focusing for a moment into a steely gaze. 

The temperature in the room dropped as the words were uttered. Yvette froze, her doe-like eyes wide with horror. She wasn't sure if the cry of anguish came from her or her mother but she found herself throwing her body into the blinding sapphire light at the hazy form who cast the spell. The light faded and icy air clung to her breath as she tackled him to the ground, beating him with the candlestick that somehow found its way into her hands. Her mother lay frighteningly still and her tears froze as they slid from her green eyes. 

Lucius flung Yvette to her knees, grabbed her by her collar and wrenched the candlestick from her grasp. "Get out," he ordered. 

She threw herself at him in a blind rage, managing to knock the wand from his grasp. 

"Stupid girl," he sneered, slapping her so hard her head rocked back on impact. "You think you can hurt me, the worthless mongrel that you are?" 

"Worthless? Even with my Malfoy blood?" she spat. 

Lucius's eyed narrowed, as if she were a rat he caught contaminating his most precious possession. He dragged her along the floor and shoved her forcefully out the door, slamming it after her. She hit the oriental tiles of the kitchen floor, her head smashing dangerously into the opposing wall. After a stunned moment, all the pain from Lucius' blows seemed to strike her at once. Vaguely, in all the throbbing aches, she heard the door's lock click shut. Rubbing the back of her head where a bruise was beginning to form, her eyes blinked open to the sight of black boots and designer robes. Wincing, she forced herself to stand. 

"Are you alright?" the young Malfoy asked her. 

"Draco!" she cried. "Wha-...why are you just standing there! Why aren't you helping us?" 

He stood unshaken, staring coldly down at her. He stepped around her to sit at the kitchen table. "This has happened before, you know. What makes you and your mother any different? I've never helped any of them." His voice was soft, empty of guilt or malice, like he was telling someone their scarf was lost. 

She spun around and faced him, her jaw clenched angrily. Her grey eyes glared into his, their pupils matched in shades of grey like stormy skies reflecting into a cool, clear pond. Somewhere inside the room, a vase broke and Lucius's yelling drowned out Vianne's sobs. 

Yvette inhaled shakily to contain her fury. "You're not a child anymore! You have a wand, a mind of your own, eyes of your own!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "What's wrong with you!" 

He frowned and brushed her hands off his shoulders. "Don't touch me." 

"Shut up, Draco. Whatever you think I am, I'm still your cousin." 

He paced away from the table, his boots gently clicking on the tile. "That's my father in there. I would never choose to protect some nameless servant over my own flesh and blood." 

Yvette stared at him blankly before he turned sharply on his heel and left the room without another word. She clenched her fists tightly and ran after him. 

"Who do you think you are?"

He turned to face her in the dimly lit hall. "I'm a Malfoy." 

"That's it? You can define your entire existence with your last name? Let me tell you who you are. You are a little boy, you are a coward. Like it or not, the woman your father is beating is your aunt and my mother. You have it in your power to help us, but you're too busy drowning in your little frozen Malfoy lake. And if you don't change right now, you'll become just like that lunatic in there. The one who drinks his life away to forget his mistakes, the one who terrorizes others to make himself feel powerful. He lives on that power but never feels secure because he knows that despite it all, he's still just a puppet of the Dark Lord. So he beats his son to vent all that lifelong rage. Is that who you want to be Draco Malfoy? You're smart enough to make your own decisions. But right now, I see you becoming him. You hang on to his every poisoned word, because you're stuck wallowing in a gold-paved pit of fear. Even when someone tries to help you, you can't accept their help because you are too scared. Maybe, you've finally convinced yourself that you enjoy your velvet imprisonment, I really can't tell anymore." 

"Is that what you're doing?" he asked quietly. "Are you trying to help me?" 

"I tried, Draco," she said sadly. "But, since you are not willing to return the kindness, it's apparent you never accepted mine. I need your help right now. Don't you see?" 

"I've already told you. I can't help you. I won't." He paused to look straight into her gaze. "I'm…I'm sorry." 

"You owe me forever then," she whispered. The room was silent now except for faint sounds of her mother's sobbing, muffled by the manor walls. Yvette stared numbly at the large expanse of tile for a moment, her stupor broken by a scream. She sighed in frustration. Her heart was beating rapidly, her head spinning in rage - she had to do something. There was still one more person left to go to. Yvette ran out of the kitchen and up the long winding staircase. She often found the manor's mistress sullen and tight-lipped on the second floor's west wing on afternoons such as these, silently busying herself at inane tasks while Lucius drank. She secretly wondered if her aunt was blind to her husband's blunders, or simply complacently indifferent as if a mask of expensive lace shielded her pale sky-blue eyes from the truth, to keep them frozen with the same empty ice she found in Draco's gaze. 

"Madame Malfoy," she cried, as she reached the top stair. "Come quickly! Please. Lucius..He's..." 

"What is it?" a cold, refined voice resounded from the drawing room. 

"He...," Yvette fell silent, as the tall, graceful figure stepped out into the carpeted hall. 

"Is he alright?" Narcissa asked softly, standing straight and demure in all her delicate china-doll beauty. 

"Yes..I mean...No..I-," she stopped again. "Please, I need you to come with me." 

"Are you ordering me?" A touch of trained venom was embroidered in her tone, but Yvette knew better. 

"I am not ordering, you, Aunt Narcissa. I am asking you, politely. Please come with me. My mother's life is in danger and you are obligated to help us." 

"I am under no obligation." 

"Your husband is viciously taking advantage of my mother, Vianne - your sister-in-law, and he has in fact, taken advantage of many innocent women. You are obligated to insure the welfare of your servants, the welfare of your marriage, as well as the well-being of your own sanity. I do not understand how you and your son can stroll about this house with your ears shut and vision glazed with indifference. And in all honesty, I don't care anymore." She sighed, suddenly exhausted. "Please. Make him stop." 

"I didn't know Draco was aware of this," Narcissa murmured. "I didn't think Lucius would have been so careless." For a moment, Yvette thought she would return to the drawing room without another thought. 

However, the mistress swept gracefully past her down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Yvette didn't follow. She couldn't bring herself to enter the room, too afraid of what she might see. 

They left the manor that evening. Vianne refused to tell her daughter what occured in the tiny servant's quarter they had shared and Yvette didn't want to know. She often thought about her father and what kind of man he had been. How did her mother fall in love with a Malfoy, a person bred and raised in that grandiose manor, a person brother to Lucius? Either way, they resolved to never return, to the manor or to the twisted clutches of the Malfoy family. 

She smiled wryly into the pile of straw. The irony of it all.... 

****** 

They were alone in the Gryffindor common room, which hadn't been a rare occurrence in the past week as most of their peers were home for the holidays. Hermione glanced up at Harry and smiled, cozy and content nestled in his arms. The fire's warmth tinted his cheeks pink and he was as adorable as ever with his translucent skin, startling green eyes, and messy black hair. He smiled back at her when she reached up to fix his crooked glasses. They resumed reading, lost in the comfort of the moment. Neither one felt Ginny's frantic presence. Hermione was the first to notice due to the fact that something was blocking her light. 

"Oh, hello Ginny," she looked up. 

The other girl began to wave her arms crazily - pointing at the fire, clutching at her own hair, then opening and closing her palms. 

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, worried. "Do you need to go to Madame Pomfrey's?" 

Ginny ignored him, her eyes glazed with frenzy. She kept mouthing and motioning something they couldn't understand. Finally, she smiled scarily and scampered up to her room. 

They sat very still for a moment. 

"Well," said Hermione, wincing as Ginny slammed her door shut. "That was certainly strange." 

Harry nodded, still staring at the spot Ginny had stood. 

The fire's crackle reigned over the silence between them until Hermione shut her book and turned to Harry gravely. "Do you think it has something to do with the curse?" 

"For the last time, there is no curse," he said impatiently. "Malfoy and Ginny are not secretly engaged and their families aren't going to die a slow and painful death. I mean, the very idea is impossible. It-" 

"Why is it impossible?" she cut him off. 

"Well-," 

"Let's for a moment pretend that my laughable idea was true. Wouldn't it make sense? Dumbledore pairing Ginny up with Malfoy for the detention committee, Ginny fainting out of the blue not once but twice, Ginny coming down here like that and acting like a chicken gone –" 

"If there was a curse this major, wouldn't Ron have told us about it?" 

"What if Ron doesn't know?" 

"True, but…Ron doesn't know about his own family curse, but Dumbledore does?" 

"Dumbledore knows the history of magic better than Ron. Take this seriously. You don't know that-" 

Ron wandered in through the common room portrait, with the eyes of an abandoned puppy. "Do you two know where Yvette has gone? I've been looking for her all day." 

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and shook their heads. 

"Do you know where Ginny is, then?" 

"I think Ginny is up in her room. I haven't seen Yvette this whole day. I thought she was with you. Where've you been Ron?" 

Not bothering to answer Harry's question, Ron shot up the stairs and banged raucously on the dormitory door. "Open up, Ginny!" 

**** 

Draco restlessly roamed the halls somewhere outside the Gryffindor Tower. He didn't know its exact location so he assumed he was close enough. The three people he usually saw too much of seemed to be eluding him today. 

"Draco, are you lost?" the singsong voice of Pansy Parkinson drifted up the staircase to the platform where Draco stood. He froze, unsure if he could pretend he hadn't heard her. Pansy's voice wasn't as bad as he would have described it, but over the years the girl's high-pitched tone grew as irritating as a hated alarm clock's dredded rings. 

"What are you doing up there?" 

Draco groaned, his hand reaching back to run through his fine blonde hair. This, or rather she, was not what he needed right now. He slowly turned, his eyes meeting hers coolly. 

"Why would that be any of your concern?" 

She paused, her lips opening and closing slightly from the shock of his obvious hostility. 

"Well, Pansy?" 

"I'm leaving for winter break and I just wanted to tell you that I won't be here for the winter ball... in case you were planning to go with me," she replied evenly. 

Draco stared at her and chuckled, actually suprised for once. The pathetic day to day worries of her life were suddenly more insignificant than ever. 

"Pansy, for your information I would never contemplate asking to endure your company for an entire evening." 

She drew back as if slapped, a hateful glare creeping over her face. "It's because of that Weasley girl, isn't it? You never treated me, a fellow Slytherin, like this until she came along." 

"Like what? Sorry to break it to you, but I wouldn't be interested in you if you were the last girl on the face of this earth." 

She gritted her teeth. "You pathetic bastard... I would have never thought I'd see the day that a Malfoy would be whipped by a little Gryffindor." Pansy smiled nastily. "I wouldn't want to be seen with you anyway, a disgrace to your house and family." She sniffed, tossing her scarf over her shoulder. 

Draco stiffened, his Malfoy pride smarting from the blow. Upon reflection, he smiled inwardly, perfectly aware that this was the time to be rid of Pansy once and for all. "Am I a disgrace to my family? Well, not as much as a sniveling, spineless sycophant is to the Slytherin house. Whatever you may choose to think of Ginny Weasley, know that she's better than you'll ever be. At least she doesn't lap up the dogma of anyone with more popularity, wealth, or whatever superficial trait it is that you value. We're finished Parkinson, though I don't remember ever starting. Go home. Good-bye. Enjoy your vacation." 

He smirked as Pansy wilted under his rebuttal. She looked up at him with bitter longing, fear, and something he couldn't read. Whatever it was, it was covered up by her usual artificial smile. "Oh, Draco, darling," she cooed. "You laugh because you think I'll wind up on the lowest level of hell someday, but you're laughing too soon. Eventually, you'll be right down there with me, because you'll always be a Slytherin in the end. Like me. We're one in the same, hon. So, have fun playing Potter for the Weasley brat for now. She'll soon find out though - what you really are. You'll want me back soon, and I'll be waiting." She winked haughtily. "Good-bye Draco." She strutted down the stairs and paused mid-step as if something crossed her mind. "Merry Christmas." 

"Pansy," he called after her. "I wouldn't wait too long if I were you." Not bothering to wait for her to reply, he turned and stalked away, resuming his mission on finding Gryffindor tower. Despite his careless tone and smug retort, Pansy's words stung. She was right. In the end, he was a Slytherin, because he chose to be. Ginny Weasley was lovely fire, but eventually his ice would drown out her flame. If the curse didn't kill them, they'd both be nothing, empty shells, a pile of ashes dissolving into a puddle of water. If the ritual didn't kill her, then he would eventually snuff all the warmth from her eyes. Right? Perhaps, it was better this way. 

***** 

Ron walked past the elaborately decorated great hall, irritated by the overpowering aroma of pine wafting from the Christmas trees and wreaths. He sighed. Yvette was still nowhere to be found, missing through breakfast, lunch, and now dinner. After a while, he figured finding Ginny would be an easier task, but she too seemed to drop off the face of the earth. 

He exited the hall and found himself face-to face with Pansy Parkinson. She fixed a glare on him, which he returned easily. Ron expected their encounter would be over at that, but then something he'd never seen on her face before appeared - a smile. She made her way to his side, that strange, uncharacteristic grin still stretching her lips. 

"Hi Ron, looking for someone?" 

He nodded slowly, indecisive as to whether he wanted to continue the conversation. 

"Well if it's for your darling little sister, you might want to ask Draco Malfoy, or better yet, check under his covers." Winking sweetly, she slinked past him and continued down the hall. 

Once around the corner, she tore down the corridors, bent on the warpath Draco had set her on. She hated him, she hated the stupid red-haired Weasley girl, but most of all, she hated herself. She knew Draco didn't love her, didn't even like her. But she had foolishly hoped he would change, soften to the affection that shone blindly through her eyes. She burst outside and dragged her suitcase behind her to the lake, where a boat would take her to the train station. When he asked her to the Yule Ball in fourth year, she was indifferent to his existence. She had said yes because he was a handsome, a Slytherin, and a Malfoy. She fell in love with him that night. Or rather, she fell in love with the way he made her feel - beautiful, sophisticated, respected, happy, and so much more. He kissed her awkwardly on their way back to the common room, and she saw stars. That night, when she looked in the mirror, her skinny body and oversized eyes reflected a princess as lovely as Snow White. She did everything her mother advised when it came to boys- agree with all the things he said, smile, act superior to other girls. His interest in her waned after a few days, but she was too lost in writing "Mrs. Draco Malfoy" and "Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy" over and over again to notice. 

She stared at her reflection in the lake, registering silently that the water never froze this year. Pansy knew she was beautiful, probably one of the prettiest in seventh year. Why didn't Draco love her? She would have given...would still give anything or everything for him. In a way, she had - she lost her happiness for his, his and Ginny Weasley's. Ginny Weasley. Pansy's green eyes flashed jealousy in her reflection under the dusk sky. She hoped Lucius Malfoy would do something horrible to the sixth-year girl. Why should a penniless, muggle-loving Gryffindor get what she could never have? How could a penniless Gryffindor give Draco what she never could? 

She closed her eyes as if to shut all her tears inside. They leaked out anyway, running mascara streaks down Pansy's lovely face. She didn't want to go home. She needed time alone, away from Hogwarts, away from her social-butterfly mother and her weak-stomached father. But there was nowhere else to go. She sullenly stared through blurred eyes as the game-keeper, Hagrid, rowed the boat steadily towards the dock. She sniffed and brushed away her tears. Quickly performing a make-up repairing spell, she fluffed out her hair. She was still Pansy Parkinson after all - cute, malicious, and hopelessly Slytherin. 

***********

After the shock of Pansy's words dulled, Ron dashed through the halls, barreling into walls and students alike. He had an idea of where to start his search for Ginny - a part of Hogwarts he had only frequented once before, the Slytherin Dungeons. His feet slipped dangerously every step down the staircase and his awkward robes grew increasingly tangled around his long limbs. 

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Weasley?"

Ron looked up from the bottom of the stairs to see a certain Slytherin's sneering face.

"Malfoy." His eyes narrowed, obviously suppressing his temper. "Seen my sister lately?"

Draco leaned casually against the stone wall, his form seemed to glow from the candles behind him. "Actually, Weasley, for once, you've come to the right guy."

"Really, and would you please explain to me why."

Draco continued to lean on the wall, head cocked to one side, scrutinizing Ron as if deciphering whether or not he was worthy of the knowledge.

"Probably not, Weasley. At least, not now."

"Not now? Why not?" Ron exclaimed angrily. 

"Don't be thick, you bloody Gryffindor. What I have to tell you also needs to be explained to Potter and Granger. So, if you'd lead the way to your common room, then I'd gladly let you in on all the slimy details of what happened between your sister and I."

"Slimy?" Ron looked like he was going to be sick, his pallor violently changing in tints through the various shades of the rainbow. 

He smirked. "The faster you move, the faster you'll find out."

********

END OF CHAPTER TEN

Sorry you guys…if you thought this chapter was boring…well, we did too. I know…lots and lots of Yvette. No D/G action at all. What's happened to Ginny? Heh, you'll find out next chapter. It'll probably be the last. 

IM conversation between mignonne and sellene

Sellene3: mig? i've read ch.10 sooo much that i can't take it anymore…so boring! no emotion  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: hhaha, don't read! just write more!  
Sellene3: but it has to be fixed!

CoCoNuTCuRlz: omg, ur right. no emotion…i got to arrived at manor with rundown bags and then I died  
Sellene3: hahaha, i pressed onto "unnatural creature that you are" bwahha  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: no……must persevere  
Sellene3: hahha, it's like the jogging  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: it's like when we ran  
Sellene3: haha, beat u to it  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: dude, we think too much alike

Sellene3: …it's soooooooooo boring! i can't take it. i don't like this story anymore! it's been too long! I don't wanna write it anymore…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: that hurts sellene  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: hahhaa ….sigh…we need to move on….  
Sellene3: but there's no hope. So we gotta make hope by writing more =) no more fixing! just write!   
CoCoNuTCuRlz: write!  
Sellene3: i don't wanna…u write  
CoCoNuTCuRlz: ….

*  Sellene3 = sellene  
**CoCoNuTCuRlz = mignonne

Thank you to all of our beta-readers and the wonderful people who reviewed.

**Ferggirl99 **– yes, the plot is finally starting. Lol. It's gonna be over soon too. **Dizzy Flower** – ooh, your story is so good! I'm happy that your reviewed us. Heh. I feel honored. **Bellus-gui** – you practically died? Haha, that makes me feel good in that flattering way. Hehe Well, we saved you with this new chapter. Did u like? **Brown-sugar** – yeah…see? We posted more ^_^**Verena Gruen** – thanx for staying with us and still loving antithetical. =) **Dragon Faerie** – wow, your name reminds me of chapter 9. hehe. **Rhi marzhano** – you reviewed! So exciting! Love your fics! Write more! We're timely….kinda **Marigold** – yup, ur the sharpest cookie in the tin! =) hehe. That wasn't sarcastic. We like it when our readers think deep into our story. Hehe **Allie **– morals? Draco? Hehe. I love the Gilmore girls! ^_^ **Jennifer Kay** – lol. Nope, u weren't hallucinating. We actually updated! Bwahaha. Or were you seeing things? Maybe u still are. Maybe u just went crazy cuz we never updated. Hehe **The Blue Mandrake** – fav author and fav story? *gasps deeply* so honored…so honored… **no name** - dude how can u review without a name? Lol. Oh well, we updated. Ur wish is granted. **Faith akiyama** – I still can't get over the fact that *we* got u into d/g. lol. Yes, my head is getting big. oh well =). I loved ur narcissism story. **Daemons-daughter** – but cliffies are so fun! **Allie **– lol. Thanx for reading and reviewing. yes…the fanfic is more important than not failing math *shifty eyes*. Hehe. **NiMiBabe** – u like our writing style? Makes us so happy. ^_^ **BlueLady** – this soon enough for you? Hehe. **NoWrNtuSpEcIaL** – u know what? U shoulda told ur friend to read our fanfic. Hehe. u know..spread the joy. ^_^ **MYSTIQUE** – yeah, draco's hard for us to write since we're both girls. Lol. But he's not meant to show much emotion cuz the fic is mainly from ginny's p.o.v. **Mickey **– yeah! We like totally did! =) **Myobgirly** – lol and look! We updated again! Hehe. hope the wait wasn't too bad. **Mags** – hehe.. you saw right through us. Kinda. He wouldn't kill his family though… **Hermione** - =) thanx for liking. glad to know that people appreciate our writing. **MaLfoyS GaL paL** – darn! I wanted to be malfoy's gal pal. *glare* ^_^ j/k. hope u enjoyed new chap. **Amelia wil Tesla Saillune** – the best story ever? Sigh. U really know how to make us feel good. Hehe **Lilprncss** – sorry for not keeping u up with dance. We learned so much. It's impossible to show online. =( thanx soo much for reading and reviewing though! It means a lot, especially since you found it all by yourself. Your enthusiasm for our fic really helped fuel us to write more. =) **Zephyr** – one or two hours? Wow, u read fast lol. Or not..hmm I dun't even know how many pages long our story is. **Kitty8876** – best fanfic u've read yet? U need to read more. Lol. Check out our favorites list. =) **Alianorie** – hmm, I haven't read Crown Duel, but I'll be sure to….hehe, I wish Rowling would too. D/G*ness forever! ^_^ **Crystal **- on your fave list? Ooh, so exciting! **Simone** – bloody dying over there? Haha. Don't worry, we'll update soon. We hope -_-' **Padme** – umm..yes **no name** - yes…sellene is strangely proud of that analogy…hahah **Viy** – omg, viy. You reviewed us sooo much! Hahha, yes…those physio labs really suck. Bahhhh, I hate school. Thanx for beta-reading too and recognizing the fact that we LIVE off reviews..heheh. **Rosie** – yay! You reviewed. So happy. I promise to come next Sunday….i think..-_-' **no name** - dude, what's up with all these no names? Yes yes, update soon. Someday. ^_~ **kai** – Hahhahaa. Poor kai…I think mig confused you. When we asked you to review, we didn't mean EVERY chapter. Hahahha. Thanx though. It really means a lot. ^_^ **kahnees **– new addition is here. Enjoy? Review. **Frananddragon** – awww, thanx. Hahha, hope you're still eagerly awaiting by the time we posted this chapter. -_-'

As always….please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	12. In Which There Are Bad Feelings Galore

Disclaimer - We do not own Harry Potter. Please don't sue us for writing this fic. We're not making any money. 

******

CHAPTER ELEVEN – In Which There Is Bad Feelings Galore

******

Not bothering to answer Harry's question, Ron shot up the stairs and banged raucously on the dormitory door. "Open up, Ginny! Is Yvette in there?" 

Several moments later, he was back at the foot of the stairs. "She's not here." 

Hermione stared at the panicking boy. "What does it matter? So, she's not in her room..."

Ron shrugged worriedly. "The door wasn't locked and I found this on the floor." He pulled a crumpled bit of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Harry, who eyed the lump quizzically and unfolded it.

"Meet me at the Transfiguration Room at midnight, Love, Ron."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You snogged in McGonagall's class room at midnight?? I swear you get turned on by the oddest things."

"I didn't write that!!" Ron said, his blue eyes wide. "We would never snog in the Transfiguration room. Who would…?" His sentence trailed off, his eyes glazed over as if contemplating the idea.

"Right…."

"Wait! I'm serious, Hermione. I think something's wrong! I didn't write that note."

"You think?" A voice marked with telltale sarcasm floated from behind the portrait entrance. "You Gryffindors are thicker than I thought."

Ron groaned, his eyes traveling regretfully towards the common room entrance. "Open up Fat-Lady. Periwinkle."

"If you say so..." The dubious portrait slowly swung open.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry's glare moved from Ron to Draco, then back again. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"Show some respect, Potter. I'm doing you the favor of coming to your little hell house to enlighten you."

"With what?"

"Yeah, Malfoy. Get your head out of your arse and get on with it." Ron's foot tapped impatiently on the soft common room carpet. "We're waiting."

Draco leaned on the rose brick wall beside the portrait threshold. "Shut up, Weasley. All you really need to know is that, both Yvette Delacour and Ginny have been taken to Malfoy Manor."

"Your manor...What kind of game are you playing?"

He shrugged. "Wasting time, Weasley. I just told you your girlfriend and sister are in the clutches of a mad man and you're still arguing over details. "

"Details?!? It's _your_ bloody dungeons and _your_ lunatic father that's holding them. How can we trust what you say?"

His eyes narrowed to silvery slits. "Fine, don't listen to me. Keep running circles searching for them. They'll be dead before you realize your stupidity." He kicked angrily at the portrait back. "Let me out, you stupid Gryffindor." 

The fat lady squealed angrily and shifted aside. They stared in surprise as Draco stalked out. 

Hermione looked worriedly at her two best friends. "What do we do now?" 

*******

Ginny evaluated her situation once more: she was blind and cold. Her throat was raw from pointless screaming and she was hungry, having not eaten since morning. She would have fished for the few biscuits and a lock-picking kit in her ugly green coat, but there she was - hands and feet bound to a stone wall. She pounded her head against the jagged rocky surface behind her. 

Lucius Malfoy told her everything - solved every riddle that plagued her mind the past few months. She had been so quick to believe his words and now, all she could think of was that Draco Malfoy didn't love her. The slimy prat was only out to save his own stupid, superficial life. She bit her lip angrily. She had told him she loved him. And she had, still did. Chocking back a sob she squeezed her useless eyes shut. All those evenings spent together - his crooked smile, his charm, his words, his kisses - it was all to save the bloody Malfoys from some bloody curse. 

_To Ginny, the faerie who dances in my life. _

How could she have been so stupid? He was a Malfoy and she was a Weasley. She was nothing but an over-freckled, over-blushing, muggle-loving, red-haired Weasley. He could never really love her. And now that he managed to deceive her accordingly, she was going to be killed. She was going to die at sixteen in the hands of his father. On top of all that, she had a scratch on her nose. Life couldn't get any worse. She didn't know who Clarence Weatherby was, but she was sure she hated him. 

And Yvette - her best friend - was just another deception in the trap. She kicked at the wall, both feet still bound together. A loose pebble bounced across the floor and she followed its progression with alert ears. 

"Well, you seem to have gotten comfortable."

Ginny stared up at the direction of his voice, too blind and drained to muster a glare.

"It's almost a shame to move you." Lucius leaned casually against the cell door, his pose eerily reminiscent of Draco's own. "Come. The ceremony will commence immediately."

******

Yvette slowly opened her eyes, and stared across the richly decorated space. She hadn't been asleep, but still faked grogginess beneath the man's looming shadow. 

"It's about time you woke up, half-breed. You are about to witness something amazing."

She glared at the newest of the many guards who watched her every move. Hunched over and hooded, it was impossible to distinguish him from the rest. She was forced to sit at the room's end, beside the large, ornate throne in an uncomfortable, mahogany chair. As a child, she speculated about the room's purpose, arriving at the conclusion that it had been a throne room during the days that the Malfoys were royalty. Draco had told her the Malfoys were still considered royalty, but she hadn't believed him. Her stomach twisted angrily from the haunting familiarity of her surroundings - each chair and candle was positioned at the exact same angle from years before. The only change was the absence of carpet from the sleek stone floor in light of the approaching ceremony. In its place, the hooded guards had crafted a strange pattern of ancient runes, ivy vines, encircled with goblets of thick, red liquid. Large torches provided the only lighting for the room. The curtain had been drawn, shutting out the full moon. They moved her here hours ago and her worries and past demons seemed to intensify with each minute. Not wanting to appear frightened in front of the scrutinizing guards, she feigned sleep. 

She sat up straight as the double doors slammed open across the room. Lucius Malfoy entered, followed by slouching, robed men shuffling behind him. She folded her arms and watched his entourage make their way into their places in the dark, beautiful ritual. They formed a semi-circle behind the strange pattern and faced the throne. As the figures scattered, she could see the struggling girl held by two guards behind Lucius. It was Ginny - Ginny was there. Yvette set her jaw and ignored the lump rising in her throat.

"Virginia," Lucius sneered, his eyes fixed on Yvette's own. "Do you know who's here?" 

Ginny pursed her lips and glared ahead, refusing to answer. 

"Ginny?" Yvette stood up. Her brow furrowed. "It's me, Ginny, can't you see me?"

Her best friend narrowed her empty, still eyes and did not say anything. 

"Ginny," she cried. "It's Yvette. Please answer me." Panicked and frustrated, she rushed toward her, only to be held back by guards. Lucius was pointing his wand at Ginny's heart, daring her friend to struggle against their hold. 

"Ginny…," she trailed off. 

Lucius smirked. "Don't you think she knows, Yvette? I've told her everything."

"Don't believe a word he says! It's all lies –"

"Is it?" he interrupted her. "Why didn't you tell her, dear niece? About your Malfoy father…your whore of a mother. Doesn't your _best_ friend deserve to know your secrets?" 

"Ginny, I –"

"I've told her everything – about how you and my son plotted for years to bring her here to die to save the valuable pureblood lineage of the Malfoys. A job, well done…I must commend you on your success, Yvette. Tonight, after Weasley is done away with, we will christen both you and Draco as Death Eaters."

"You – ," Yvette stopped as Lucius neared his wand to Ginny's chest. 

"Don't deny it." He waved his free arm to signal the start of the ceremony. "The masquerade is over now, Yvette Malfoy." 

*********

Draco banged in annoyance against the Slytherin Cat portrait, jumping into its now familiar mouth. With his trusty broom was in one hand, he mounted it swiftly and sped through Hogsmede. He arrived at the south end of the forest in record time and dismounted when the trees were too thick for flying. His frustrations increased as he angrily stalked past tree after tree, deeper and deeper in to the forest. 

Upon arriving in a clearing, an owl appeared and dropped a package and adjoining letter at his feet. Draco snatched up the letter quickly and broke the seal. 

_Here is a port key to the Mansion. The ceremony awaits your presence. Do not keep us waiting._

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco let the letter drop and it soon burst into the usual green flames. He began unwrapping the package, when a hand grabbed his. 

"You're not going anywhere without us."

The blonde boy smiled slowly and turned. "Knew you couldn't keep your nose out of this."

************

"It is a waste of magic to keep you blinded any longer," Lucius said. "_Opticus Helaus."_

Ginny clenched her eyes shut as an orb of energy began to grow from the centers of her eyes. Tears slipped from the corners of her quivering eyelids and she slowly opened them when the pain stopped. Even the dim light of the candles in the room hurt.

Yvette sat on a plush rug near the head of the room, facing the strange design on the floor. Ginny, herself was kneeling in the middle of the structure, with the assembled death eaters behind her. She could feel magical restraints holding her in place and forcing her to remain placid. The invisible bonds were too tight for her to struggle and so she stared at her best friend, face wiped blank of emotion. In truth, she wasn't angry with Yvette, not really. It was her own fault that she was so easily deceived. In one ironic synapse, she realized the people she had opened herself completely to had all deceived her. There weren't that many - just Yvette and Tom Riddle. They both seemed to understand her so well. They didn't care that she had flaming, red hair, too many freckles, too little sickles, and an eccentric muggle-obsessed father. They didn't care about the superficial qualities that made up her outside - only the pieces of her soul from the inside that she dared share with them. Tom comforted the lonely eleven-year-old girl who felt lost in the shuffle of seven children in a crooked house. He comprehended her emotions better than her own mother or the boy she loved ever would. Yvette had seemed to understand too. Ginny bit her lip. She should have seen it coming. No one wanted to befriend the girl who opened the Chamber of Secrets? Who would? Nobody, except the enemy. 

Out of nowhere, Yvette Delacour showed up at Hogwarts, smiling at her shyly and asking where Transfiguration was. She was popular enough, as all the boys flocked to her and all the girls wanted to be her. Perfect, immaculate Yvette _Malfoy_. Ginny's heart clenched. How could she have been so stupid? All those years...all those secrets and dumb, girly hopes and dreams. How Yvette must have laughed at the gullible Weasley girl. Was she laughing now? 

Lucius stood by Yvette's side, his long hair tied at the base of his neck. Ginny expected him to be staring at her with gloating menace, but instead he watched the massive double doors that enclosed the ceremony in the windowless room. He was waiting for someone, she realized. 

The sound of boots clicking on the stone hall outside echoed in her ears, the noise becoming louder and louder. As the immense door swung open, the figure appeared.

Ginny's heart began to pound, and she quieted it ruthlessly, upset at its betrayal of any rationality that still lingered in her thoughts. Her heart still believed that this boy would save her - he who she had grown to care about, even love. Draco stepped forward, looking as faultless as ever. Everything beneath her chest tightened and clenched till even her mind acknowledged the pain her soul felt. The Death Eater's restraints could not keep the tears from glazing over her eyes and she looked down before he could catch her gaze. 

"Good evening, father," she heard him say. "I'm here as you requested." It was the same voice that comforted her, the same voice that told her he cared. It was all a lie – one huge, bloody lie to save the bloody Malfoys from hell. 

"Very good, Draco. Your fiancée was getting bored without you." 

She looked up and his eyes were on her. She tried to catch a slimmer of the warmth in them, the same warmth from when water sprites danced before him in the art gallery. It was all gone as if it was never there at all. Like she imagined the kisses in the alley, the mindball, the glass dragon... 

_To Ginny, the faerie who dances in my life._

It was never real. And this was the end now. This was real. Her thoughts suddenly flashed to her brother – poor Ron. He was just as deceived as she was. He liked Yvette, he really did. She inhaled shakily. In her first year, she nearly killed because she trusted Tom Riddle's diary. She lost control of herself when scribbling in that dark, little book. He told her what she wanted to hear and let her feel what she wanted to feel. She opened the Chamber of Secrets almost destroying hundreds of lives, because she foolishly succumbed to trust. Sometimes, years later, she would lie in the dark and think about that night - about how everything could have ended right then because of her gullibility. She was so vulnerable, she realized, spilling her secrets to him. Bit by bit, he snatched her soul away until she had no grasp on her own thoughts. After he revealed his true self, she stared into the pitch-black cave ceiling and wondered why it couldn't have been someone else who found a leather diary in their potion's textbook. She wondered what would have happened if she never opened it. 

_Hello Ginny. _

It was so innocent. If she hadn't been so stupid as to trust, she would have never been so fragmented. She would have never so desperately needed Yvette's friendship or Draco's love. They seemed to understand, even when her own family didn't. Her savior in Hogwart's secret chamber had been Harry, but Harry didn't care about her anymore than someone vaguely felt pity for beggars. He had Hermione now, and they would live happily ever after. That had been her life – struggling to be noticed by parents in a crowd of seven children, by Harry Potter behind his best friends, and now, struggling to be loved by someone too cold-hearted to care.   

As the pale, expressionless boy strode to his father, the assembled Death Eaters scattered into a series of frenzied actions. Three walked nimbly through the complex ritual design and surrounded Ginny, carefully painting red paste across her palms and forehead. The rest positioned themselves besides the goblets of red liquid surrounding the sand pattern and faced the throne of the ceremony, occupied by Lucius. Draco and Yvette were at his sides. 

With a wave of his hand, the symphony of spells began, each one carefully orchestrated by Lucius. The spells intensified into a crescendo of power and murmurs, swarming around Ginny in waves of fire and ice. The crimson paste on her body became streams of lava and hail, swirling into thousands of glowing, infinitesimal swords. They stabbed into her blood, painfully desecrating every cell in her body. 

Her bronze hair flew out around her, whipped by an invisible wind. The grains of sand rose into luminescent orbs and the painted lettering on the stone floor shone brightly. The chanting remained steady and as the three Death Eaters stepped back from Ginny, a faint outline of a form began to materialize. Their Dark Lord would soon reclaim his young girl from years before. 

Ginny's eyes hadn't moved from Draco's since the start of the ceremony, and she remained expressionless, as if untouched by it all. His fists clenched and unclenched by his father's side. One of his hands slipped into his robe pocket, fingering the almost forgotten mindball. 

_"Ginny, just hang on. Help is on the way."_

She didn't respond to his silent words, but didn't look away. 

_"Listen Ginny, my father is a liar. Yvette _is_ my cousin, the daughter of my uncle. He was disowned when he married her mother. She wasn't willingly part of any plan to hurt you. Please believe me Ginny…She's innocent."_

Ginny's eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. The spell was digging harder into her now, and she couldn't hold it off much longer.

_"What about you, Draco? Are you innocent?"_

_"I –"_

The doors that had recently revealed Draco now opened for a very different group. Lucius' eyes narrowed and he poised his wand for an attack. "Continue the ceremony!" he shouted angrily at the Death Eaters. "Well…if it isn't the Boy Who Lived. I should have known that you'd -"

"NOW!" Ginny heard Harry hiss to Ron. The duo stormed in, aiming their wands at the two nearest Death Eaters. 

"Stupefy!" The chanting faltered as the men fell and others drew their wands.

"Don't stop!" snapped Lucius angrily. "The Dark Lord is nearly strong enough to finish off the curse." Nevertheless, their job had already been accomplished. A smoky form appeared like steam condensing in the air, outlined in faint red and containing two burning vermilion circles, presumably eyes. A sinister voice from the ethereal, yet all too substantial figure continued the chant. Wisps of silvery tendrils reached towards Ginny, mingling with strands of her hair. She gasped, closed her eyes and arched backwards as it entered her mouth. When she opened them, they were gleaming red, staring blankly at the ceiling. Voldemort was about to possess her once more.

"Ginny!" Yvette burst out of her seat, heedless of Lucius' wand digging into her throat. 

"Sit down, you foolish girl. I've won now." 

Furious, Ron directed his wand to Lucius. "Stupefy!"

"_Protego_," the older Malfoy countered and the spell bounced back dangerously to Ron. Luckily, Harry dragged him out of the way. 

"Well?" he addressed the Death Eaters. "Attack them!" 

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to repel the malicious form from entering her. Draco's voice boomed in her head and she vaguely noticed Harry and Ron fervently fighting the robed figures. 

"_Hang on Weasley! I'm sorry it had to happen like this. Oh, Ginny…_" 

He felt Yvette clutching his arm. "Do something, Draco. Why are you standing back?" 

He looked into her grey eyes and flashed back to the last time she stared at him with such intensity. He hadn't helped Vianne Delacour that day, because he was too wrapped in selfish fear. He saw the same urgent plea now and shook his head almost sadly. "Yvette -"

"Don't you see it, Draco? She is like my mother...an outsider kind enough to love a Malfoy. My father was brave enough to love her back...but you. You are a coward." 

He felt his insides flare up in anger, but said nothing. Her looked at Ginny: her eyes were rolled to the back of her head, her hands balled in tight fists. Potter and Weasley were doing surprisingly well, stunning several Death Eaters, but were faltering rapidly. Weasley's left arm hung limply at his side as if broken and Potter couldn't stand up straight due to a blow to his stomach. Draco panicked, unwilling to fight for either side. 

Just then, his eyes fell to mysterious disturbances upon the sand. Even while he watched, fresh footsteps traveled around Ginny. He blinked curiously and made his toward the invisible phenomenon. Immediately, the markings ceased to appear. His brow furrowed and he lifted his wand threateningly.

Amidst all the chaotic yells emitting from the Death Eaters, Potter, and Weasley, he heard a faint "Stupefy" from beside Ginny. He immediately ducked and the spell hit Lucius squarely in the chest. As his father keeled over from the impact, he launched himself forward at the formless spell-caster.

"Oof!" He landed atop a solid figure and from beneath him appeared Hermione Granger's head. "Mudblood?" he sneered, pinning her solidly to the ground.

Yvette gasped. "No, Draco, don't!" she cried, but Lucius was quickly recovering at her side, screaming at orders at his fellow Deatheaters. 

But as his wand no longer rested on Yvette's throat and she sprung up, tackling him from behind. "Not this time, uncle," she gritted out. He fired curses blindly, vainly attempting to toss her off his back. Like her mother, her veela nails dug into his skin and held on tight. 

His cries of anguish mingled with the shouting of curses reached Ginny's ears, but none of it really mattered. 

"Hello, Ginny." Tom slowly crept into her, sapping her strength to increase his own. The sensation of him torturously seeped through her mind and she was helpless to stop him. 

"Draco?" she whispered. "Draco, are you there?"

He did not answer. Instead, he had rolled off Hermione and hurriedly filled her in on details of the spell. 

"Voldemort's spirit was summoned and by possessing Ginny, he can suck away her soul. This would break the Weatherby curse, while also gaining a body for himself. If you perform a _wingardium leviosa_ for all the components of the spell, it would disrupt Voldemort's form and concentration. Then I could _Avada Kedevra_him. It wont kill him since he isn't in corporal form, but it would dissipate what has gathered of him." 

She stared at him as if appraising his trustworthiness. 

"So, what'll it be, Granger? There's nothing to loose."

She nodded reluctantly and waved her wand over the carefully laid out ritual pattern.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

The chaos stilled in amazement as a gust of wind clattered all the candles, lamps, and goblets of blood towards a vague point in the air. The sand rose, losing its artful pattern while the golden lamps knocked with the multitude of objects. The moment seemed to be frozen in time – Death Eaters closing in on Harry and Ron, Yvette and Lucius in their struggle, and at the center of it all, Hermoine, Draco, and Ginny. He raised his arms and focused straight at the burning red orbs.

"_Avada Kedevra!_" Green light filled the eyes of everyone present, causing many to shield their faces with their arms. Through it all a horrible, high-pitched scream consumed the cool, eerie air. A whirlwind of sand and blood splattered wildly against stone walls and the chandeliered ceiling raining down as the scream and light faded. The pandemonium stilled, all that was left of the ceremony was Ginny crumbling to the ground, arms breaking free from any binds that held them. She lay flat on her back, Draco still holding his wand, pointing numbly at the empty spot in front of her. 

"I never thought! My own son!" 

Enraged, Lucius threw Yvette to the ground and she landed frighteningly still and silent. He stormed over to Draco, grabbed him by the collar, shook him, and threw him on the floor away from Ginny. He stared blankly back at his father and gave no struggle to his brutality. 

"Remember what I said to you Draco when you last defied me?"

He looked up stonily at Lucius. "Of course, father."

"Don't call me that! I am NOT your father! A child of mine would never be a weakling…a traitor."

Silence filled the room. Even Harry and Ron stood still among the Death Eaters and watched the scene. 

"Then, maybe I don't want to be your son," Draco said slowly. "That would put an end to the curse too, wouldn't it? If you disowned me."

"I don't want to disown you, Draco," he sneered. "What would people say? There you are again – always thinking about yourself. Do you realize how long I've planned for this? The Dark Lord will not be pleased." He waved an arm at the Death Eaters and they immediately seized Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "No…I won't disown you. It would be better if you died in some tragic accident. The headlines will read 'Draco Malfoy Fell From Broom When Escaping Hogwarts' …. after committing the murders of several of your peers.

"You could have had it all, Draco. The family fortune, the power, the place at the Dark Lord's right-hand side. But instead, you chose…her?" Lucius waved his hand lividly at Ginny's body. "A Weasley? What were you thinking? You bring disgrace to the Malfoy name." 

Draco's hands clenched as anger flared up within him. "Disgrace the family name? My whole life, I've only done what you've asked of me father. My entire existence has been spent in your servitude. Everything I've ever done has been for you. Just this once I did what was right for me and not what you -,"

"Don't give me that shit, boy. You only think about yourself. What about your mother? Forgot about her, have you?"

"My mother is too far gone to love anymore. You drove her to that point. You're a pitiful man, Lucius. You've destroyed anyone who's ever cared about you. I don't care if saving this girl botches up another plan for Voldemort, causes you a terminal disease, or even kills me. I'm sick of doing your chores for you, because I know I could end up just like you someday. And that very thought frightens me more than death." 

Lucius' cheeks held two blotches of angry red. "Whatever you say, son. I'll be glad to grant you your _final_ wish." He raised his wand, shaking in rage. "_Avada Kedrava._"

As the green light shot out of his wand, a figure dashed in front of Draco and seized his wand. "_PROTEGO!_"

The shield glowed and Lucius's eyes widened as the curse rebounded. Within a split second, the swords of intense emerald light blasted back at him forcefully. He gasped when he spell hit him, but stood in place determinedly. Through the brilliant light, his eyes locked with his son's.

 "Don't look away, Draco," he whispered hoarsely. "Take care of your mother. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry." __

For the second time that day, the jade rays faded and all that remained behind them was the corpse of Lucius Malfoy. Ginny lowered the wand and wordlessly handed it back to Draco. He took it shakily, the warmth of her hands still on it. He walked over to the fallen body of his father and bent down. Lucius' unblinking gray eyes, common to every Malfoy stared up at him vacantly, reflecting his own. Draco swept his eyelids closed, his father's soft eyelashes brushing surreally against his palm. He then rose and turned to the stunned onlookers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to free themselves from the Death Eaters. They looked at him and he glared back, despising the utter pity shining through their gazes. His father's colleagues had all lowered their wands, unsure of what to do next. The Dark Lord had been banished and their leader was now dead. Hesitantly, Hermione whispered something to Harry and Ron. They spun around to face the handful of Death Eaters left. 

"_Immobivinias!_" they cried and immediately, the hooded, blood and sand dusted figures were suspended by enchanted ropes to the chandelier. 

"Just until aurors can come," Hermione said quietly. 

Draco nodded numbly. "You better get the hell out of my house. There are some things about the Manor and its master that I'm sure none of you are prepared to find out."

The trio stared at each other and nodded. Noiselessly, they turned and strode out of the double doors. Ginny still stood by his side, unwilling to leave. Instead, she made her way to Yvette's crumpled body, relieved to find a weak heartbeat. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Oh, Yvette, I'm so sorry." Weakly, Yvette opened her eyes and lifted her hand to Ginny's cheek. 

"For what?" she smiled warmly.

"For doubting you."

Draco gazed at them silently. Everything had changed now. His father was gone. And she had killed him. 

*****

The End

*****

Wanna read a really funny convo that me and mig had?

CoCoNuTcUrLz: hey!!  
Sellene 3: i just recorrected fic  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: i was thinking what if they cast that like bounce back charm?  
Sellene 3: but why?  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: so voldemort would bounce back!  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: :D  
Sellene 3: ...  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: outta ginny?  
Sellene 3: ...  
Sellene 3: i dont think it really works like that  
Sellene 3: hahahaha ^_~  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: *cries*  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: y not!!  
Sellene 3: its like reflecting spells that u throw at someone  
Sellene 3: like if i was all "avada kedrava!"  
Sellene 3: and u were all "protego!"  
Sellene 3: it would bounce back  
Sellene 3: and kill me  
Sellene 3: =(  
Sellene 3: :/  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: awwww  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: they could cast the killing curse!  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: avanda kedrava!  
Sellene 3: to kill ginny?  
Sellene 3: or at the smoke thing  
Sellene 3: ?  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: hmm  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: the smoke thing?  
Sellene 3: but part of its in her!  
CoCoNuTcUrLz: well maybe it'll kill the parts in her?  
Sellene 3: sure!  
Sellene 3: go for it  
Sellene 3: or...  
Sellene 3: haha  
Sellene 3: they could do...accio voldemort and voldemort could come flying at them  
Sellene 3: then they could do avada kedrava  
Sellene 3: ^_^

Sorry this update took so long. See…okay here are our excuses. I had this huge choir concert thing that took lots of rehearsals and stuff. And Mig had dance performances and stuff. And we both had a whole bunch of tae kwon do stuff to worry about. And then we're both taking algebra ii and physiology honors which are hard classes u know! And then I went to Disneyland for Spring Break, then Disneyland again for choir stuff. When I came back…there was a whole bunch of work to make up. Then we had psat's testing and finals…lots of stuff to worry about here. Then…come summer, we're updating! See? Not THAT bad right? Sure it took about 4 or 5 months…but we're still alive! ^_^

Alrite…u guys..the next chapter is the Winter Ball. I guess the entire fic boils down to the DG interaction next chapter, so please stay tuned and read cuz we've been looking forward to writing it for so long. Thank you for reading Antithetical and perhaps, reviewing? ^_^ Individual thank-you's are below. 

**RubberDucki** – yay! so nice of u to say we're original, especially since one of our first reviewers (ever) said we weren't. **chopin** – oof, I luv ur fics! Yes..the pansy thing was a random thing that I (sellene) did. Glad u liked. **Gusha **– u must solemnly swear, eh? Hehhe..well, here it is. stay tuned for the epilogue.  **yam ** - hope mig e-mailed u to save u from death with our update! ^_^ **Karen** – glad u enjoyed. **Marie **– one of ur favorite fics? We're sooo flattered! We really are! ^_^ **pixie** – no…it's not over. The sequel…umm, just ignore it. We were gonna write one, but too lazy now. Probably gonna do an original story next. **Damnzdevil** – yeah…we really have to work on hardening draco up (no pun intended ^_~). Thx for ur support! **Druidess** – wow..we're ur first signed review? Sooo honored! We're actually one of the ORIGINAL curse stories…so yes…^_^ hehe **Vanessa** – yeah…H/Hr is just kinda conveniently there. Sorry. **Yam** – yup! Now that it's summer, we're trying to update more. but that's what we said last summer too -__-'  **/\/\1|** - yes, we're very happy. Gonna bug u soon again ^_^ **RosieLady** – yeah…thanx for ur constructive criticism. Sincerely appreciate it. It's true…we do tend to jump around a lot. I guess it's just part of our writing style. Hopefully, as we mature as writers, the choppiness will cease to exist. **Dragon Faerie** – hehe..thx for ur support. Luv ur sn! ^_^ **KeeperOfTheMoon** – updated ^_~** Mags** – hey girl! Hehe..naw, it's not that draco didn't care about Yvette back then, it's that he was too scared to help. He's friendly to her because she was kind to him back at the manor, and he also feels bad for letting bad things happen to her mommy. Hope that wasn't too confusing…^_~ **myobgirly** – yay! at least one person thought last chapter was depressing. Was what we were going for. ^_^ **Dizzy Flower** – thanx for saying we're talented. Hehhe** Anin** – Yeah…ur not the first person to say that we're a big choppy. It's something we're trying to improve one. Thanx for ur imput! ^_^ **yam** (again?) – guess what? This isn't the last chapter..the next one will be the epilogue…full of DG*ness **Jennifer Kay **– hahaha..take our sn and stalk us? Stayed tuned for the epilogue which will have TONS of DG interaction. Hope u'll like. Yeah…fight that writer's block! **demented weesil** – heh…luv ur name. Update not exactly quickishlike..but close, no? **frananddragon** – yeah…last chapter was kinda boring. we could barely stand reading it over to correct typos. Hehe…hope this one is a bit better. **NiMiBabe** – thx! We will…I think ^_^** Alianorie** – Yeah..this is what happened. Poor Ginny, no? Sigh…Oh well. Dgness next chapter. **Verena Gruen** – ooh, we luv u Verena! Such a faithfull reader! ^_^ thx for reading! **Jenn** – hehhee..you'll find out next chapter. ^_~ **sabacat** – thx! Here's more! hehe BTW, u were the first reviewer for last chapter…so congrats! hehhe            


	13. In Which There Is A New Beginning

EPILOGUE - In Which There Is A New Beginning 

****************** 

**THE DAILY PROPHET  
****December 24, 2003**

**LUCIUS MALFOY DEAD, 23 DEATH EATERS ARRESTED**  
  
by Rita Skeeter 

_London_ - Lucius Malfoy's life was ended late last night by the Killing curse at his own Malfoy Manor. Aurors arrived at the scene minutes after the crime and found 23 Death Eaters bound to the ceiling under the supervision of Malfoy's own son, Draco and classmate, Virginia Weasley. Fellow Hogwart's student Yvette Delacour was discovered unconscious in the same hall and was rushed by mediwizards to nearby Malfoy Village Hospital. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley reported the incident, meeting Ministry officials outside the manor. 

The case is still under investigation, but for now, authorities believe Malfoy's death was caused by a reflection of a killing curse he cast at Virginia Weasley. The Malfoy heir and mother, Narcissa, have no comment on the death nor the arrest of her husband's comrades. The 23 detained members of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's inner circle have their trial scheduled for the second day of the New Year. Though the names of the suspects have not been released to the public, Head Minister Cornelius Fudge commented, "It is hard to believe that such respected citizens collaborated with the Dark Lord." 

Virginia Weasley is the suspected perpetrator of the Protego curse that ended Malfoy's life. She will be held at Ministry Headquarters until her expected release. "She confessed to it, but they can't send her to Azkaban for self-defense against a Death eater," said auror, Alastor Moody. 

*********** 

Draco threw the paper aside on to a nearby table and sank back into the luxurious leather chair behind his father's mahogany desk. He was in the library, waiting for the Ministry to summon him to testify as a witness at the incident. A few words from his mother managed to convince the Ministry to let him remain at home rather than to be detained at the government offices. But that was where Ginny was. He stared into the large fireplace, waiting for some Ministry lackey to call him to the bureau. He checked his timepiece and glared at the fire impatiently. Finally a timid face appeared through the flames. 

"Mr. Malfoy?" 

He sat up straighter. "Yes?" 

"The Ministry of Magic now summons you to its London Headquarters to testify in the trials of Virginia Weasley, Peter Pettigrew, Igor Karkaroff, Bellatrix Lestrange..." 

Draco's focus waned as the head in the fire place continued to rattle off names of death eaters. This was it - he was going to see Ginny for some long-awaited moment of truth. He knew what he was going to say, and he had waited two days (an eternity in a seventeen-year-old's life) to say it. 

************* 

Virginia Weasley sat stiffly in the wooden seat of the court. Light streamed in from the tall windows behind the row of ministry officials and she watched absentmindedly as the millions of tiny dust particles danced in the air. The room was decorated for Christmas and Dumbledore, who sat on the panel, was wearing a Santa hat. In contrast to her weary emotions, the ministry headquarters were decked merrily with the season's red and green. It was slightly sickening. Her family had assured her that she would not receive any drastic punishments, and that her trial was just a formality brought on by the strict rules of the ministry. All eyes were on her as she quietly made her way to the witness stand and answered the panel's gentle questions. 

"Do you confess to the murder of Lucius Malfoy?" 

"Yes." 

"Do you concur with the testimonies of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley?" 

"Yes." 

"What was your motive in killing Lucius Malfoy?" 

"He was going to kill Draco. I had to do something." Her eyes rested on the wood paneling while her fingers traced patterns on her robes. 

"What were you doing at Malfoy Manor that night?" "I got a ransom note for the kidnapping of my best friend, Yvette. I was told to meet the captors in the woods. I'm not really sure what happened but...I ended up in Lucius's hands." 

"What happened when you got there?" 

"I was bound and blinded until the ceremony, at which they offered my body for the Dark Lord's possession." 

Her responses were calm and concise as she has thought them out in the hours before the trial. It's what Draco would have done, she realized, and with this felt a pang of sorrow. It was about two days since they had first kissed, and now she had killed his father. 

When at last her questioning ended, Cornelieus Fudge stood and called in the final witness. She watched numbly has he entered, meeting his grey eyes as they found hers. She listened to his words and knew that he didn't care that she killed Lucius, but that he also was not willing to turn his father in as a Death Eater. The past is the past, and it would be buried in two days at the funeral. The Malfoy name would remain untainted in the books, though severely scrutinized by moral witches and witches as always. 

The trial ended with a rap of a gavel and she was free to go. Free to move on with her life. She smiled and hugged her family and friends as they came up to her amidst the reporters' frantic questions and the photographers' flashing cameras. The room cleared after what seemed like hours until all that remained was the owner of the steely grey eyes. He was still in his witness chair and they were finally alone. 

"I'm sorry," she said softly. 

He shook his head. "So am I." He rose and made his way to her side. "Ginny, I need time. Lots of it, away from this situation." 

She smiled weakly. "I understand." 

"No, I don't think you do." He reached out and held her hand. "I...I feel for you more than I've ever felt for someone. But when I look at you...I remember my father and despite how he was, I am his blood and I can't turn my back to his memory." 

"No, I guess you can't," she said softly. "It's just...all so fast.the curse, Yvette's capture.Draco -" 

"Shhh," he leaned in so his forehead rested on hers. "I should have come clean to you long ago, but I never expected...I just never expected all this." 

"So you really liked me?" she asked unsurely. "It wasn't the curse talking?" 

"Like I said I need time. I don't deserve you yet, but I will someday." he stepped back and ran his hands through his hair. 

"Well, you may only have until your eighteenth birthday." Her voice quavered but she looked him straight in the eye and cleared her throat. "Thanks for ...I'm sorry that...I mean..," she sighed. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other around." 

He nodded kissed her lightly on the cheek. 

"_Wait_," she thought to him, but he had shut his mind to her's and reached in to his pocket. He rolled the shiny mind ball on to one of the tables and walked down the aisle. She bit her lip and sank shakily into her seat. It was over now. 

"See you when school starts, Ginny," he said quietly before shutting the door behind him. But something new was just beginning. 

********* 

The End (for real) 

Merry Holidays and Happy New Year! 

********* 

Little Beauty - yay! thanks so much for sticking with us. had so much fun with you at homecoming ^_^ you should somehow come to our prom too! good times! hehhee.....you were definitely the last bit of inspiration we needed to polish off this last chapter. antithetical is finally done! ^_^ Marie - now..THIS one is the REAL last chapter....lol Jenny - your review is from August...so i guess we weren't too timely. hope you managed to make it back to read the epilogue..and this very personalized thank-you for your review ^_~ Dark Gypsy - i luv gypsies ^_^ we were gypsies from hell for halloween. and yep, you're right. the thirst for reviews brought us back to the fic. SaKuRa LoVa - hehe...glad you think our fic is COOL! we think YOU'RE cool! ^_^ Adria - AP chem? ouch...hehehe...you're so hardworking for a sophomore....hope we'll see you again this summer! and thank you so much for taking time to review! much love! Barn Bum - break out the bicardi! we made someone's favorite list! ^_^ yay! sorry it took so long to update. kneh13 - lol...you really think it was interesting? hehhee...nope, not adding anymore after this final chapter. elain3 - lol....the best one? well...we tried ^_^ hope we did it? Dragon Faerie - you didnt REALLY think it was over, did ya? lol...apple-eyez - hehehe we love people who review on ff.net. we love people who review on FA. but people who review on both? double love! no no...like quadruple love! yes...we tried our hardest to make antithetical a little more than completely predictable chicfic Jennifer Kay - we're surprised you even managed to find us again! you know...after six months and all...lol, sorry for the long wait (again) and good job for winnign against writer's block! Indice - lol, you rock our world too! sorry about the turmoil and strife. really, we are. melonsprite - hehee...your name sounds like a perfume. hehe glad you liked the fic...and yeah...the shield charm thing is kind of a plot hole...shhh..dont tell anyone. Borderline Felton Stalker- lol...but it wasn't REALLY the end. ^_^ hehehe...borderline felton stalker? lol...i've definitely crossed that border i think....lol.... frananddragon - it's a really good suggestion to stick in a little summary of last chapter to help our readers along...especialy after such a long break...but we're soo lazy. _ sloths, both of us. lol....and no yule ball, we definitely decided that it'd be weird for ginny to be gallavanting off to dances after committing murder. hehe we love you for reading us! Ezmerelda - heheh smart girl for reading on! ^_^ thanxs for writing? no....thanxs for reading...AND reviewing! TrinMalfoy - hehe...mags! sorry it took us sooo long to update. we never did manage to get tom felton...hmm...must save up for london plane tickets...lol...hehehe..i heard he's like 6'2 now...omg so hot. so hot. sabacat - yepp....DG love rules! ^_^ thanx for sticking with us...hopefully you made it to this last chapter...lol kai - hehehe...hey jessica. thanks for reviewing! ^_^ and good job on your math song! go us for giving up our dignity for single extra credit point! oh yeah! lol..._ 

and thus concludes the thank-yous for reviewers. for all first time readers, congratulations for making to the end of the fic. good job! high-five! ^_^


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